ICSA Beef chair Edmund Graham has urged the Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, and his department officials to demand the reinstatement of Ireland’s access to the Chinese market for Irish beef without delay. “In February of this year we saw China suspend imports of Brazilian beef over a confirmed case of atypical BSE. However, by March that suspension had been lifted and exports from Brazil to China resumed. We see no reason why Ireland’s access cannot be reactivated within a similar timeframe.”
Mr Graham was speaking in response to this week’s decision by Chinese authorities to again suspend beef exports from the Republic of Ireland over a case of atypical BSE.
“Our beef exports to Chima were first suspended for the same reason in 2020 and did not resume until January of this year. At a time when the focus must be on capturing the potential for Irish beef in the Chinese market, we simply cannot afford to see this suspension carry on for three years as it did in 2020. We have seen that Brazil could regain access within a month and we must do the same.”
Mr Graham said as this is an atypical case of BSE it will not impact on our progress towards the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (OIE) requirements around reaching negligible status for the disease. Nor are there any public health risks associated with the finding.
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