Under EU legislation, cattle exported from Ireland within the EU (including to Northern Ireland) must complete a residency period on a holding prior to export.
The pre-export check carried out by my Department was modified on 3rd April to ensure that cattle presented for export comply with the legislation. A note informing industry of the changes to export checks was issued on 27th March. The Department provides livestock marts with real-time data from the AIM system indicating whether or not the animal is eligible for EU export markets, and this takes into account the 30-day residency period requirement. It is the responsibility of the marts to display accurately the information provided to it by AIM.
I called a meeting with live exporters earlier this year at which I stressed that my Department considers the live export sector to be of great importance, particularly given Brexit and the expansion of the dairy herd. At that meeting the 30-day residency period came up for discussion. A small number of minor technical and other anomalies were highlighted by exporters when the pre-export check was modified and have since been addressed; the new arrangements are operating with minimal disruption. The ongoing search for new third country markets is a priority for my Department and I welcome the fact that exports of live cattle to date in 2017 have increased by more than 40% compared to the same period last year.