Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 December 2014
103. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to engage with the EU Commission to have current failures in the Common Market surrounding the export of live cattle to Northern Ireland and Britain addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46719/14]
View answerUnder the rules governing the free movement of goods and services within the EU, all Irish beef producers have ready, unimpeded and equal access to all EU Member State markets without restriction. Articles 34 to 36 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union prohibit Member States from maintaining or imposing barriers on intra-EU trade in goods. These provisions give rise to the principle of mutual recognition whereby each Member State is obliged to accept onto its market products which are legally manufactured or marketed in another Member State. My Department attaches considerable importance to the live export trade and, over the years, has been very active in facilitating both the cross border live trade and shipments abroad. Live exports serve a dual purpose as a means of satisfying market demands for live animals and providing alternative market outlets for farmers. Total live exports to the end of November this year stand at almost 225,000 head of which 65,000 went to the UK, an increase of some 5,000 head or 8% up on the comparable period in 2013. Of this 65,000, nearly 49,000 went to Northern Ireland which is down only 2.4% on the same period in 2013. Live exports to Great Britain are up nearly 63% on last year. This does not suggest any failure in the common market.
The potential to grow the live trade to the UK even further is constrained by the buying specifications operated by the British retail chains in relation to cattle born in this country and exported live for finishing and processing in that market. The retailers’ longstanding policy is to market British and Irish beef separately. This means that beef must be sourced from animals originating in one country or the other; i.e. born, reared and slaughtered in the same country. In addition, logistical difficulties can arise when a small number of Irish-born animals are slaughtered in a UK meat plant. Under mandatory EU labelling rules, these carcasses have to be deboned in a separate batch, packaged and labelled accordingly, thereby incurring additional costs for the processor. These issues are a matter of commercial preference, both of slaughter plants in the UK and Northern Ireland, and of UK retailers. Decisions by processors and retailers in other member states in relation to purchasing policy are matters of commercial preference.
While Bord Bia has repeatedly raised this issue with British retailers over the years, they are unlikely to reverse their marketing policy in the short term and are currently under pressure to stock more British beef. Nevertheless Bord Bia, in its ongoing interactions with British customers, will continue to pursue all opportunities to maximise the full potential of the beef and livestock trade with our largest trading partner. In addition, Bord Bia actively supports the development of the live export trade through the provision of market information, developing market access and promotional activity.
I have also had several meetings with my Northern counterpart, Minister Michelle O’Neill, on this subject. We agreed to make a joint approach to the three British retailers who stock Irish Beef, accepting that these were commercial matters, but also seeking some flexibility given that this beef is produced to the exacting standards required by British consumers. Following on from this, I convened a meeting with Minister O’Neill and the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium which took place in October. At this meeting the NIRC made it clear that their beef buyers had a preference for single origin beef, of which they had ample supply, but they would keep the situation under review. I also met separately with Tesco where we had a useful and frank discussion on this and other procurement issues. I will continue to pursue opportunities for exports of beef and live cattle at every opportunity.
