Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 September 2021
789. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress that has been made towards facilitating the resumption of Irish beef exports to China; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43505/21]
View answerThe resumption of Irish beef exports to China remains a high priority objective for me, the Department and the Government as a whole. Significant efforts to reopen the market have been made through official, technical, diplomatic and political channels and there is ongoing contact with the Chinese authorities on the matter.
In May 2020, the Department identified and confirmed an isolated case of atypical BSE. Atypical BSE poses no public health risk; it is believed that cases can occur spontaneously and sporadically in all cattle populations. In fact, the discovery of this rare case exemplifies the strength of Ireland’s BSE controls and surveillance system.
Following confirmation of the atypical BSE case, Ireland immediately suspended shipments to China in accordance with the terms of the bilateral protocol governing the beef trade and pending a risk assessment by the General Administration of Customs for China (GACC).
Since then, the Department, in collaboration with the Embassy of Ireland in Beijing, has engaged intensively with relevant Chinese officials to seek the resumption of trade. This interaction included the submission by the Department of a comprehensive epidemiological report in June 2020, a further detailed update on our official BSE controls in November 2020 and information on Ireland's revised status as 'negligible risk' for BSE awarded by the OIE (the World Animal Health Organisation) in May 2021.
The matter has been raised at the highest political levels including by myself with my counterpart the GACC Minister, and by An Taoiseach with the Chinese Premier in January. Along with Minister of State Heydon, I strongly urged the lifting of the suspension during our meetings with China's Ambassador to Ireland in 2020 and 2021. Minister Coveney also raised this issue with his Chinese counterpart during an in-person meeting in May 2021.
The Department, in collaboration with the Embassy of Ireland in Beijing, will continue to utilise every available option for dialogue with the Chinese authorities, to press the case for a restoration of beef access as a matter of urgency. However, it must be recognised that the timing of the decision to resume trade remains a matter for the Chinese customs authorities.
