Progress is slow on lifting the ban on Irish beef exports to China due to COVID-19, last week’s Bord Bia seminar heard.

Beef exports were voluntarily suspended by Ireland in May 2020 following the confirmation of an atypical BSE case in a cow.

Sinéad McPhillips, assistant secretary general at the Department of Agriculture said: “The overriding priority from our point of view is to regain access for beef to the Chinese market. There has been intense communication between Irish and Chinese authorities at government, diplomatic and at a technical level and we are confident that we will regain access. At the moment the Chinese, like all other countries, are concentrating on COVID-19 issues and this has delayed our access.”

China is expected to import 2.5m tonnes of beef in 2020, up from 1.6m tonnes in 2019. Chinese authorities are particularly sensitive to anything in relation to Covid 19. Given the travel restrictions that are in place a virtual inspection may take place in place of a technical visit.