Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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199. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the new initiatives he will undertake to increase live cattle exports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36567/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Live cattle exports are a means of satisfying market demand for animals and providing alternative market outlets for Irish cattle farmers.  My Department, and Bord Bia, have been proactive in encouraging and facilitating such exports.

Earlier this year, my Department worked with Turkish  Authorities to reopen the market for live bovines.  In recent weeks, over 8,000 head of cattle have been exported to Turkey and I expect further substantial shipments to that country. I also expect live exports to  Libya to commence before the year’s end.

The markets currently open to live cattle from Ireland include Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Montenegro, Serbia and Algeria and most recently Turkey, in addition to the other Member States of the European Union. Animal health restrictions and geopolitical instability have impeded previously high volume exports to Belgium and North Africa respectively, though small numbers of breeding cattle have recently been exported to Morocco. My Department has agreed health certificates for the export of live cattle to Turkey, Egypt, Serbia and Algeria this year and is currently investigating the possibility of bilateral health certificates for the export of live cattle to Kazakhstan. I recently lead a successful Trade Mission to Morocco and Algeria, with a strong focus on live cattle exports amongst other things.

The exploitation of market outlets, once opened, is a commercial matter for the live export sector, and demand is determined by the usual variables, including the cost of animals at marts, domestic demand for live cattle, the relative cost of beef at home and in foreign markets, currency exchange rates, transport costs and other factors.

I will continue to work to ensure that Irish meat and livestock producers have the option of exporting to as many global markets as possible for both processed meat and live cattle.