Vol. 545 No. 3
46 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the progress which has been made regarding efforts to re-open the beef trade with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30147/01]
It is the policy of this Government that every export market should be open to Irish beef and no effort is being spared by my Department, the Department of Foreign Affairs or An Bord Bia to bring this about. Each of our important export markets, including Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, is being dealt with in whatever way is most appropriate to the circumstances prevailing in that market. The strategy adopted in each case is kept under constant review by my Department having regard to advice from our embassies in the countries concerned and from Bord Bia.
Opportunities afforded by ministerial visits to the region were availed of to press Ireland's case for a reopening of those markets. Furthermore, a senior veterinary official of my Department visited Saudi Arabia and a number of Gulf states earlier this year to follow up on contacts with the relevant authorities in those countries to brief them on developments in relation to BSE and to outline the guarantees which can be offered to consumers of Irish beef. Last month a number of meetings were held in the Irish Embassy in Riyadh with the importing agencies with a view to progressing the effort to reopen the market. We will continue to press for re-opening of beef markets at every possible opportunity and I am confident that our recent success with the Egyptian market, our largest market, will encourage other markets in the region to follow suit.
