Reopening of Turkish beef market should help drive on cattle prices

THE Turkish market has been opened up for Irish beef exports and should help to drive on cattle prices paid to farmers.

IFA president John Bryan said access to the high-priced Turkish market has already had a major impact on the beef market across Europe, with an increase in German cattle prices of €200 per head.

He said Bord Bia and industry sources have indicated that Turkey could handle imports of 150,000 tonnes annually and become a major destination for European beef in the future.

Recent figures from the Turkish Ministry for Agriculture show that 80,000 tonnes of carcase beef have been imported in the last 12 months. The surge in Turkish beef imports follows a decision by the government last autumn to reduce customs tax.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Brendan Smith said his department had reached agreement with the Turkish authorities on a veterinary health certificate, which will allow beef from animals aged 30 months or under, subject to certain conditions, to be exported to Turkey.

The Turkish market has only recently re-opened to EU beef after 14 years and, in the past few months, many member states, like Ireland, have been negotiating with the Turkish authorities on certification issues. The minister said, while 99% of our beef exports go to the high-value EU market, Turkey, with a population of almost 75 million people, offers another potentially important outlet to the Irish beef industry.

Mr Smith underlined his commitment to gaining access to as many markets as possible for Irish meat exporters and said that, in that regard, 2010 had been a very successful one, which had seen the reopening of several other markets including the Chinese and Russian markets for pigmeat, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisian and Moroccan markets for beef, the Moroccan market for live cattle and sheep meat and the South Korean market for breeding pigs.

“The Irish Agri Food Sector can play a significant role in the economic recovery of this country. There is considerable potential for developing and expanding our agri-food exports, which should result in real employment opportunities at home.”