Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 3

Written Answers. - Live Exports.

Billy Kelleher

Ceist:

47 Mr. Kelleher asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the main markets for the export of cattle and calves; the categories of animals being shipped; the way in which the total volume of trade in 1999 compares with exports in each of the two preceding years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22336/99]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

The main export markets for our cattle and calves are Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and the Lebanon.

Developments in this trade in recent years are set out in the following table:

	1997	1998	1999(to 24/10/99)
EU
Calves	2,202	31,535	99,277
Weanlings/Stores	31,262	79,637	178,420
Third Countries
Finished Cattle	4,831	17,491	58,134
Total	38,295	128,663	335,831

The buoyant live export trade to EU markets has underpinned weanling market prices over the past year, while the export of finished cattle to the Lebanon has also had a major impact on this end of the market.