Turkey not long term buyer of live cattle, Bord Bia seminar told

Turkey’s imports of live cattle from the EU are not sustainable in the long term, said Rupert Claxton of GIRA at last week’s Bord Bia Meat Marketing Seminar.

Since May, the Turkish government has been importing breeder and feeder cattle with a 0% import tax, introduced for three years, up to 2018, said the seminar speaker from the GIRA international research consultancy specialising in the meat and dairy sectors.

Up to this year, Ireland had only a small share of the live cattle trade to Turkey, which is dominated by Uruguay and Brazil. But it is now a growing trade for Ireland, with a strong likelihood of increased exports, since the first shipment was sent in October.