The French Department of Agriculture announced this Monday that Turkey had reopened to French live exports after a two-year closed period due to the bluetongue outbreak that has disrupted France’s cattle sector since September 2015.

France warned that its exporters would still face strict export conditions including systematic bluetongue vaccination and testing, protection against the flies carrying the disease and the exclusion of cattle from infected areas. These are likely to restrict French cattle numbers exported to Turkey for the near future.

France is, however, a serious competitor for Irish live exporters to Turkey. French cattle only had access to the country in 2015, between an earlier political dispute and the bluetongue outbreak. That year, 80,000 French weanling made their way to Turkey.

Turkey opened to Irish cattle shortly after the French shutdown, offering a crucial outlet with more than 8,000 weanlings exported last year and 24,000 so far this year.

Turkey imported 430,000 head of cattle last year for finishing locally, most of them from South America.