Vol. 538 No. 3
166 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a Russian vet arrived here following the announcement of the re-opening of the Russian market for Irish beef; the dates on which he met with departmental officials; and the reason no certification has been issued. [17999/01]
The Russian veterinarian arrived in Ireland on 28 May and has since met officials of my Department and An Bord Bia on several occasions. The proposed export certificate, which will accompany every consignment of beef exported to Russia and which must comply with the terms and conditions which were requested by the Russian side, has been referred to the authorities in Moscow for confirmation of its contents. Once formal approval of the proposed certificate has been received from the Rus sian authorities the certificates will be made available to exporters.
