Michael Noonan
Question:26 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the progress he has made since the establishment of the beef summit. [3985/03]
Written Answers. - Beef Exports.
I hosted a meeting of the main farming organisations and the chief executives of the main beef export companies last December. The purpose of the meeting was to review the state of the beef industry and to consider the best market strategy for the industry in the short to medium term. A number of issues were agreed at that meeting. First, the participants accepted that the Bord Bia market strategy involving Irish beef moving up the value chain within the EU and gaining a greater spread of markets in general, represented the best way forward for the industry as a whole. This will involve applying greater efforts in maximising the returns from core European markets, including Italy and Holland, targeting growth in European developing markets such as Scandinavia and France and developing niche opportunities in Germany, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. In this context the UK will continue to be our largest core market for beef and the strategy ahead will involve increasing the volume of overall trade at retail level in the UK.
Second, on third country markets there was an acceptance of the need to avail of every market open to Irish beef and in this regard processors will continue to supply the important Russian market and will renew commercial efforts to supply the Egyptian market, which is more competitive for Irish exports since the special increase in export refunds which I negotiated last year. Efforts are also continuing in relation to other important third country markets such as the gulf states, South Africa and Indonesia. There was general agreement that margins would have to be available for all involved, both at production and processing levels.
The participants agreed also on the importance of introducing mechanical classification at an early date. I undertook to press hard at EU level to advance a framework regulation to facilitate the early introduction of a EU-wide mechanical classification system. Early agreement at Community level would facilitate the introduction of mechanical classification later this year.