News that Northern Ireland will receive Chinese inspectors next month is welcome but it is just the second step on the road to approval for beef exports to the world’s fastest-growing beef market.

Details of the visit were announced by Martin Williams of the UK Export Certification Partnership (UKECP) at this weekend’s annual conference of the Scottish Meat Processors Association (SAMW) in Glasgow. UKECP is an industry partnership made up of the UK levy bodies, factory trade associations and farmer representatives and works to open new export markets for the UK beef industry.

The two-week visit scheduled for next month will concentrate on examining the traceability system in the UK and will also involve factory visits to examine official controls.

Slow process

However, securing export approval to China is a slow process as Ireland knows so well. After five years of negotiations, Ireland just last week signed a protocol but an export certificate still has to be agreed and individual factory approvals have to take place before beef can start to move. For Northern Ireland and Scotland, approval is unlikely to be achieved before 2021.

The round-up of progress on opening export markets revealed just how complex and slow the entire process is. The US, a long-term target, is bogged down in agreeing a suitable method of E coli testing as the UK application for approval included all types of meat. Ireland secured access for prime cuts only to the US initially, with manufacturing beef for burgers just getting approval almost 18 months later in July 2016 and the first shipment only taking place earlier this month.

There is better news on the Philippines, with approval expected in coming days. This has also been a long process but will be worthwhile as the Philippines is constantly among Ireland's top third-country export destinations.

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