Live cattle exports to countries such as Turkey, Libya, Tunisia and Egypt are being hampered because prospective buyers have difficulty getting into Ireland to see Irish livestock.

They face delays in getting travel visas and in some cases have been unable to obtain them.

This is despite big efforts by Irish exporters who routinely submit visa applications on behalf of prospective clients and obtain helpful letters of reference from Bord Bia.

Exporters report that it takes at least 21 days for a visa to be given to a buyer from these countries. The Irish exporter identifies the hotel the client will stay in and must list out their movements while here.

Both exporters and foreign-based buyers complain it is difficult to get information or a response from the relevant agency – the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, which is part of the Department of Justice and Equality.

In recent weeks Irish cattle exporters were told it could take eight weeks to get an entry visa for a buyer from one of these countries.

Last year one buyer from Turkey was able to visit Ireland for 24 hours because his wife is a citizen of an EU member state. He was collected at Dublin airport by the Irish exporter, driven to an export yard in the south of the country to view cattle and discuss prices. The next day he took a train back to Dublin to catch a plane home.

Cattle exporters say the officials in charge of giving out visas are “nobbling” the good work done by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed when he visited Turkey in January 2018 and got a commitment that imports of weanling bulls from Ireland would be freed up.

Exporters want this issue to be addressed by Minister Creed and the officials in his Department.