Mary Harney
Question:25 Miss Harney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will report on recent discussions with the Egyptian President. [7018/96]
Written Answers. - Beef Industry Discussions.
Máirín Quill
Question:33 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the discussions, if any, he has had with his counterpart in Northern Ireland regarding the BSE crisis in the beef industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7792/96]
Seán Doherty
Question:51 Mr. Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the countries outside the EU that have suspended imports of Irish beef. [7585/96]
Bertie Ahern
Question:71 Mr. B. Ahern asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if the Government will undertake a political initiative to countries with whom Ireland has a large beef trade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7318/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 33, 51 and 71 together.
The House of Commons statement of 20 March on BSE has caused a wave of concern regarding the safety of beef and beef products throughout the European Union and in many third countries.
A number of third countries imposed restrictions on imports of European beef in the wake of the statement including Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Qatar, South Africa, Syria, Trinidad, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. However, all European Union markets, Russia and much of the Middle East remain open to Irish beef.
Every effort is being made to reopen and regain these markets. My Department, the Diplomatic Services and An Bord Bia have made every effort to reassure the authorities in all importing countries of the safety of Irish cattle and beef. High level delegations have visited Egypt, Iran and a number of Gulf States to discuss the specific technical issues raised by these countries. I am pleased that Egypt and Kuwait have lifted their restrictions.
Political interventions have been made where appropriate. The reopening of the Egyptian market, which followed direct contacts between the Taoiseach and President Mubarak, is very significant and it is hoped that it will have a positive influence on other countries in the region. The Taoiseach has also been in contact with the political leaders in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates while the Tánaiste has been in contact with the Iranian Foreign Minister.
I have taken a pro-active stance on the issue both within the Union and with third countries. I have discussed the difficulties with my Union colleagues and I am endeavouring to ensure that all necessary action is taken within the Union both to restore consumer confidence and to support the beef market. I was very pleased regarding the recent changes to the intervention rules which will make the vast bulk of Irish steers eligible for intervention. A solution has been found to the difficulties facing the rendering industry. I have had direct contacts with the Iranian Minister for Agriculture and the Saudi Arabian Minister for Commerce and I will be visiting Libya shortly. The need for further action will be reviewed in the light of future developments.
An Bord Bia is drawing up plans to promote Irish beef at various locations within the Union and in targeted third countries. Both the Minister of State and I will be actively engaged in these campaigns, the timing of which will depend on developments in the particular markets. A very successful promotion campaign was recently held in Sweden and I will be attending a similar promotion in Italy and Spain this week.
A lot of resources and effort are being invested into dealing with the many difficulties which have arisen following the recent developments on BSE. While this work is already bearing results it will be some time before normal market conditions are restored in the beef sector. The House can be assured that all appropriate action is being taken to deal with the situation.