Irish beef group leads way to China

A working group on market access for Irish beef in China is the first such group set up by an EU member state, and Ireland is one of only three countries worldwide to have such a working group, said Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, in a recent review of what he described as the “very significant” achievements of the trade delegation he led to China in April.

The working group is agreed in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between his department and the Chinese Inspection and Quarantine Service on sanitary and phyto-sanitary issues.

An MOU was also signed on mutual cooperation in agri-food and fisheries, building on the expressed wish of Chinese Vice President Xi that Ireland and China develop deeper co-operation in agriculture.