Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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386. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the State has applied for beef export access to Iran following the recent EU agrifood trade mission to that country; and the other EU countries that have such access. [52777/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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A bilateral agreement was concluded on a health certificate for the export of beef from Ireland to Iran in March 2013. Ireland now has access to export fresh chilled and frozen boneless beef, derived from animals under 30 months at slaughter, although no exports have taken place as yet.

A Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine/Bord Bia official-led trade mission to Iran took place in April 2016; this mission was an important step in gaining sheepmeat access to Iran, which was agreed later in 2016.

Commissioner Hogan met last month with the Iranian Minister for Agriculture and Minister for Health as part of his Trade Mission there.  The Iranian authorities have announced that Iran will adopt a single health certification system for exports from all EU Member States.  This single certification system will be issued at first to those Member States which are currently authorized to export, such as Ireland, and will then be extended to include all EU Member States.  The changes are expected to be introduced in the first half of 2018.

I understand that Denmark, Germany and Poland also have beef access to Iran, although like Ireland they would have had this access prior to the Commissioner's visit.