Agriculture Secretary Charlie McConalogue has said he wants to “get China’s beef market back to … €100 million” as soon as possible and plans to travel to the country in May.
Minister McConalogue announced last week that Chinese authorities had approved exports to resume.
Deliveries of Irish beef to China were suspended in May 2020 after a single case of atypical BSE was confirmed.
Following the release of Bord Bia’s performance and outlook report today, Minister McConalogue said his ministry wanted to capitalize on the reopening of the huge market and stressed the importance of SIAL, a major trade conference to be held in China in May.
“We want to get in there and work with the companies there as quickly as possible. So at this point we will be building a significant trade mission to coincide with this.
“And I know that our meat companies are already working with Bord Bia on this and have been in touch for the last two and a half years, but now it’s really about moving that forward,” he told reporters.
While the minister said it was impossible to quantify what re-entering the Chinese market would mean for Irish farmers in terms of income, he said China “is growing significantly internationally as a market due to growing consumption and growing population”. .
“What you need to ensure is that all markets are available and the markets that offer the best value for money and access to all of those markets is critical to ensure we maximize the price we get.”
“It (the Chinese market) had gone from 0 to 100 million euros in a couple of years before it closed, so it’s really crucial for an exporting nation like us that we’re there and at the forefront of that market.
“The important thing is how we translate that back into family farm income to make sure we add value to that and also bring more transparency to that supply chain… and to show that farmers are benefiting,” he said.
In September this year, the minister also said he plans to lead another trade mission to Nigeria and Senegal in West Africa.
“We intend to develop a market there – a trade mission to these two countries would make a difference to increase potential.
“Same with the Philippines and Malaysia – expect November there.
“It is important to support it with trade missions and ministerial and political support,” he said.
