Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal at Bord Bia's Marketplace International event on Thursday, Minister Coveney said Irish beef will be arriving in China later this year.

"Hopefully it will be the second half of the year. The market is open now, but we need Chinese inspectors to come to Ireland and approve individual plants," he said.

The inspectors are scheduled to arrive in Ireland this April, said the minister.

"The Chinese are coming here next month, so that’s the start of the process," he said. "[The approval process] always takes a few months but it’s just a matter of time now. I’m hopeful that we’d certainly be exporting beef by the autumn."

Despite Coveney's optimism, it is believed the review process could take some time. This was indicated by executive vice president (VP) and secretary general of the China Meat Association (CMA), Wei Chen during the week.

Irish beef was banned from China for 15 years due to the BSE outbreak in 2000. The market reopened in February, just one month after the US.

An emerging middle class in China is leading the demand for imported beef. Imports are expected to rise to over 750,000 tonnes by 2023, only accounting for approximately 3% of China’s meat consumption.