Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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478. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if prime beef will be sold by Irish meat plants to China in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7162/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department has made significant progress towards securing market access in the last two years. In April 2017, together with the AQSIQ Minister Zhi Shuping, I signed a Protocol on the requirements for Frozen Beef to be exported from Ireland to China. The Chinese Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) carried out a comprehensive audit of plants in August/September of last year; this represented a significant milestone in the process towards gaining beef market access.

In late December CNCA provided us with a draft report on their visit which was then considered by staff in my Department as a matter of priority. My Department worked closely with industry to respond fully to this report and provide relevant documentation to Chinese officials.

My officials continue to liaise closely with their Chinese counterparts to provide every assurance in relation to the quality and safety of Irish beef.

We understand that Ireland is now in the final stages of the market access process with China. However, despite this significant progress, the pace of the opening of the market access will be largely determined by the Chinese authorities and not by my Department.