Beef concessions in trade deals

THE EU has offered market access to new imports of 9,500 tonnes of beef annually from Central America, as part of a free trade agreement.

And 8,000 tonnes of beef per year could be on the way from Colombia and Peru, with which the EU concluded a free trade deal in March.

Although the amounts are relatively small in the EU’s annual beef imports, which average about 450,000 tonnes per year, they will have a more significant effect on Ireland, as the major beef exporter within the EU.