Vol. 543 No. 5
233 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the details of an announcement he made regarding the reopening of the Egyptian market; the date on which he made this announcement; when he expects the first consignment of cattle out of the country to this market; the numbers expected by the end of 2001; the reason for the delay in the progress made since his announcement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27810/01]
On 7 October, I announced that the Egyptian authorities had that day published a decree to extend the existing European wide ban, but in a major development provided for an exemption for countries with BSE controls of the type operated by Ireland. This represented a major breakthrough which prepared the way for the long awaited reopening of the Egyptian market for Irish beef and fol lowed intensive contact at political, diplomatic and technical level over the past number of months between Ireland and Egypt. The decree relates specifically to beef and does not provide for the resumption of the live cattle trade.
Since then, contacts have been taking place between our embassy in Cairo and the Egyptian authorities on matters relating to certification, specification and terms of supply. Commercial contacts have also taken place between importers and the authorities in Egypt. Within the past number of days, the Egyptian authorities have taken a further step and have formally published a list of three countries, one of which is Ireland, which meet the required criteria.
A number of applications for import licences have, I understand, already been submitted to the Egyptian authorities. The question then of competing for contracts is a commercial matter for the exporters involved and it is not possible at this stage to say what volumes will be exported in 2001. I am, naturally, hopeful that Irish companies will compete to regain the level of market share they enjoyed in recent years in this important market.
