Vol. 507 No. 4
104 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he has satisfied himself that Irish lamb, beef and pig meat are sufficiently well placed to compete in European and other markets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17100/99]
Beef, sheepmeat and pigmeat are our main food exports and as such it is vital that they are competitively placed on EU and international markets.
With regard to beef exports, there has been a shift in the export profile since the BSE crisis with increased exports to third country markets. The fall in beef consumption in the EU and a preference for domestically produced beef is the main reason for this change. The aim of the beef industry, as outlined in the beef task report, is to regain and increase market share on EU markets while at the same time retaining a strong presence on third countries markets. I believe that these objectives can be achieved because of our very competitive production base and the fact that we produce beef to the very highest standards of safety and quality. The export performance of the Irish beef industry in 1998, when it increased sales to EU markets by 45 per cent over 1997 level, is evidence of its competitiveness on export markets.
With regard to sheep exports, France offers the main market opportunity and accounts for three quarters of lamb export sales. However, Ireland has a market presence in almost all other EU member states. Over the past five years, a considerable effort has been made to promote lamb sales to the developing German and Nordic markets, with some success. These markets offer an alternative outlet to replace diminishing opportunities for sale to UK and Mediterranean markets.
In terms of price, Ireland can compete with any EU competitor but in the lamb market, the main challenge comes from new Zealand suppliers, which operate on a cost base which is very much lower than EU supplier. In terms of quality, Irish lamb can compete with the highest standards during the spring and summer seasons but some autumn hill lamb and winter hoggets tend to fall short of top grades. However, many Irish export meat plants now operate a full grading system based on the EUROP classification system, which – by paying producers for top quality – together with a greater focus on all quality aspect, can deliver a substantial improvement in this area. In this regard, my Department is working with the sheepmeat export approved plants to secure the grading for all lambs for export.
105 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of markets for Irish beef which have been restored in the past two years with particular reference to the Middle East and other countries which discontinued their contracts following the BSE scare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17101/99]
Many markets outside of the EU restricted or banned imports of beef in the aftermath of the BSE crisis in 1996. Following in some cases prolonged negotiations, all of the traditionally important markets for Irish beef are now open. We are now focusing on some of what would have been secondary markets where market access problems persist. These markets include Turkey, Jordan, Tunisia and Syria.
While there was no ban placed on Irish beef by any EU member state there was a loss of market share due to an increased consumer preference on some of those markets for their own, domestically produced, beef. While there has been considerable progress made in regaining these markets, it remains one of the major priorities for the Irish beef industry to further develop its presence on EU markets. Among the recommendations of the beef task force is the establishment of a special promotion fund aimed at recovering and increasing market share on EU retail markets, particularly in France and the United Kingdom.
