It is the policy of the Government that every export market should be open to Irish beef and cattle and no effort is being spared by me, my Department, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Bord Bia to bring this about. Each of our important export markets is being dealt with in whatever way is most appropriate to the circumstances prevailing in that market. The strategy to be adopted in each case is kept under constant review having regard to advice from our embassies and Bord Bia.
Trade with the Lebanon has resumed and exports to that country recommenced on 13 June with a shipment of 1,296 cattle. With regard to the EU, while intra-Community restrictions on trade have been lifted, live exports have not yet recommenced. There are issues relating to the transport of animals through member states and to the specific guarantees required by importing veterinary authorities which remain to be resolved. Once overland transport of animals recommences, appropriate lairage facilities will be required in France involving the appropriate veterinary or animal welfare measures. The provision of such facilities in the past has not been a problem.
With regard to beef, Egypt is our largest market and much of our effort in recovering export markets has been focused on Egypt. I, and a number of senior officials of my Department, travelled to Egypt last December and met the Egyptian authorities in Cairo in an effort to secure restoration of this market for Irish beef. The Taoiseach also met President Mubarak in Cairo and discussed this matter with him. Further visits to Egypt were undertaken by officials of my Department this year and I also took the opportunity last month to raise the matter with a visiting Egyptian ministerial delegation. Arising from ongoing contacts between my Department and the Egyptian authorities, it has been agreed that a delegation of Egyptian veterinary officials, headed by the chief veterinary officer in Cairo, will travel to Ireland in early August. I remain hopeful that following that visit the market will reopen. Another important market is Saudi Arabia and a senior veterinary official of my Department travelled last January to Riyadh to brief the authorities there on our BSE controls.
Additional Information.Senior officials of my Department are in Egypt and the Gulf region this week following up on earlier contacts with the relevant authorities there with a view to creating a framework for the re-opening of these markets.
I am satisfied that the Egyptian and Saudi authorities have a full appreciation of the low level of BSE in Ireland, the way in which it is dealt with and the effectiveness of the many layers of controls and checks that are in place. However, in many of our non-EU markets, of which Egypt is a good example, the situation has been exacerbated by adverse public opinion as a result of sensationalised media reporting on BSE and, in par ticular, on the BSE developments in those EU countries which encountered their first cases of BSE last year. Therefore, a return to normal trading and consumption patterns in the European Union will be a significant influence on these markets.
I am naturally keen to renew our trade in beef with Iran and my Department has had ongoing contact with the Iranian authorities both directly and through diplomatic channels on the question of veterinary certification. Iranian approval of the veterinary certificate was received in April of last year and my Department has kept in contact with the Iranian authorities since then to ensure that Ireland is included in the list of countries invited to tender for supplies of beef to Iran.
The situation with regard to Russia is that the authorities there have lifted the total ban on Irish beef imposed following the single outbreak of FMD in Ireland last March. The earlier Russian restrictions on six named counties remains in place. My Department is now finalising details of the veterinary certificate required by the Russian authorities with a view to the early resumption of this trade.
