‘Intensive efforts’ continue to regain access to beef market in China

Irish beef exports to China were suspended in May 2020 due to the occurrence of an atypical BSE case. Picture: iStock

“Intensive efforts” are being made to regain market access for Irish beef in China, the Department of Agriculture has said.

Beef exports to China were suspended in May 2020 due to the occurrence of an atypical BSE case. However, in May 2021, Ireland’s negligible BSE risk status was reinstated.

“This case had no food safety or traceability implications,” Department of Agriculture assistant secretary general Sinéad McPhillips said. “The resumption of Irish beef exports to China remains a top priority for the department.

“Intensive efforts to reopen the market have been made at official, technical, diplomatic, and political channels.

“There is ongoing contact with the Chinese side on the matter, but it must be recognised that the timing of the decision to resume trade remains a matter for the Chinese authorities.”

Speaking at Bord Bia’s meat market seminar, Ms McPhillips said there had been “very constructive engagement” with Chinese authorities on other market access areas, including dairy products and sheepmeat.

Last September, Charlie McConalogue, the agriculture minister, and Ni Yuefeng, China’s general administration of customs minister, signed protocols to “pave the way” for the export of sheepmeat from Ireland to China once further technical steps are completed, Ms McPhillips said.

She said that, since the Brexit vote in 2016 in particular, the department had invested “considerable resources” in improving access to new international markets, particularly for meat exports.

She said that, although the process “can be detailed and painstaking, and at times frustrating, we must recognise that the importing country sets the requirements, the pace of negotiations, and ultimately makes the decisions in terms of granting market access”.

Strong prices and demand

According to Bord Bia, the meat and livestock sector saw “varying trends” in trade in 2021, but strong prices and demand in the beef and sheepmeat sectors saw total exports reach €3.5bn, a 4% increase year on year and a 7% increase when compared to 2019.

Bord Bia beef sector manager Mark Zieg said last year could be described as a year of “tight supplies and record-high prices” for beef, with prices at an “eight-year high” in 2021.

In volume terms, primary beef exports fell 5% to 449,000 tonnes, but value increased by 9% on 2020 to €2.1bn.

Continental Europe became Ireland’s largest market at just over €1bn — 49% of the share.

The stand-out markets in value growth were France, up 37% to €213m, and Sweden, up 112% to €104m.

Meanwhile, it was a “very positive” year for Irish sheepmeat exports, according to Bord Bia sheepmeat sector manager Seamus McMenamin, with export values up 12% to €420m, despite a 9% fall in volumes.

The value of EU exports grew by 15% with strong performance in France, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Growth in non-EU sales was driven by the UAE, Switzerland, Philippines, and Singapore.