Securing a small slice of the lucrative Chinese market would have a major impact on trade, according to Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed.

Speaking at the launch of the National Ploughing Championships on Friday in Screggan, Co Offaly, Minister Creed told the Irish Farmers Journal that securing a deal with the Chinese will be a huge boost for the beef sector.

“If we could just get a little slice of the Chinese market, on the beef side in particular, it would make an enormous difference, particularly in the context of Brexit and market diversification,” he said.

While Creed remained tight-lipped about the Chinese delegation, he confirmed that he is confident that Irish factories will meet Chinese standards.

“They [the inspections] are hugely important. I can confirm there is a delegation here, but I really don’t want to go beyond that at the moment. But we are hopeful and confident that we can meet their requirements in terms of market access,” Creed explained.

The Chinese inspections

In the past week, two Chinese delegations visited meat plants including Slaney Meats, Kepak Clonee, Dawn Charleville, McCarren Meats Limited, ABP Clones and Nenagh, Liffey Meats, Dunleavy Meats Ltd and Kildare Chilling.

It was hoped that the delegation would also visit Glanbia’s Belview plant as part of the itinerary.

Ireland has been trying to secure access to the market since 2015 when the BSE ban on this country was lifted.

If successful, the inspections should finally secure Irish access for beef to the lucrative Chinese market.

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