Press release
Minister Heydon holds positive meeting with high level Chinese customs delegation
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for New Market Development, Martin Heydon, hosted a high-level delegation from the General Administration of Customs (GACC) from the People’s Republic of China on Thursday 7 December in Agriculture House to discuss the suspension of Irish beef exports to the Chinese market.
GACC is the body with responsibility for customs, border checks and inspections on animal product imports into China. The delegation is led by GACC Vice Minister, Li Kuiwen and they are in Ireland for a number of engagements starting this morning in the Department of Agriculture and including visits to Bord Bia and a beef farm in Co. Kildare.
Speaking after the meeting, Minister Heydon said:
“This was an excellent opportunity to engage with Vice Minister Li and senior Chinese officials. Ireland’s agri-food exports to China were valued at over €670 million in 2022 and this trade is built on our reputation for producing safe sustainable food. Maintaining this relationship is crucial and this visit is about showcasing our world class food production systems. At the meeting my department delivered a detailed presentation on the effectiveness of Ireland’s BSE control and surveillance programmes.
“I was pleased to advise Vice Minister Li that our detailed and comprehensive epidemiological report on the atypical BSE case detected on 3 November 2023 was submitted to Beijing this week on Monday 4 December 2023. Submission of this report is an important next step in restoring beef market access to China. I am confident that it gives the Chinese authorities the assurances necessary to advance the process of resuming Irish beef exports as soon as possible. I urged them to expedite their consideration of this. I also raised our request for expanding access for Irish beef once the temporary suspension has been lifted.”
Concluding, the Minister stated:
“As a country which exports over 90% of the beef we produce, we know that our reputation as a producer of safe, sustainable beef is paramount. We are extremely conscious of the importance of food safety for importing countries.”
Tomorrow the visiting delegations visit continues with a visit to a beef farm in Co. Kildare, where they will receive an overview of beef production at farm level.
Irish agri-food exports to China were valued at €673 million in 2022. Dairy (€447 million) and pigmeat (€123 million) accounted for the bulk of this.