Taoiseach Micheál Martin meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday 5 January 2026. \ Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
ADVERTISEMENT
The issue of Irish beef regaining access to China was raised by Taoiseach Micheál Martin with the country’s president Xi Jinping in Beijing on an official State visit. A spokesperson for the Government told the Irish Farmers Journal the Taoiseach highlighted the quality of food produced in Ireland with the Chinese leader in a meeting on Monday.
“The Taoiseach did raise the issue of beef exports with president Xi Jinping during their meeting in China, stating that Ireland had some of the highest standards in the world for food,” the spokesperson said.
Irish beef has been locked out of China for over a year. Its access was temporarily rescinded in October 2024 following an atypical case of BSE.
ADVERTISEMENT
This has happened several times since Irish beef first hit the Chinese market in 2018.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
The issue of Irish beef regaining access to China was raised by Taoiseach Micheál Martin with the country’s president Xi Jinping in Beijing on an official State visit. A spokesperson for the Government told the Irish Farmers Journal the Taoiseach highlighted the quality of food produced in Ireland with the Chinese leader in a meeting on Monday.
“The Taoiseach did raise the issue of beef exports with president Xi Jinping during their meeting in China, stating that Ireland had some of the highest standards in the world for food,” the spokesperson said.
Irish beef has been locked out of China for over a year. Its access was temporarily rescinded in October 2024 following an atypical case of BSE.
This has happened several times since Irish beef first hit the Chinese market in 2018.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS