Regaining access for Irish beef to the Chinese market would “help to underpin beef prices and farmer incomes”, according to Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

The minister was speaking on foot of a letter sent by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin to the Chinese head of government, premier Li Keqiang, urging him to lift the current ban on Irish beef following an atypical case of BSE in early 2020.

Important step

Minister McConalogue welcomed the move made by the Taoiseach and said it was an “important step”.

“While we are not guaranteed to regain access for Irish beef to China, we must view it as a positive. The Chinese market has proven itself in being an important one for Irish beef and gives our sector further competition for our high-quality beef,” the minister said.

“Regaining access for our beef to China would certainly help underpin beef prices and farmer incomes, which are both critical to me as minister.”

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