Limerick Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, that Ireland has secured full access for its beef in the US market.
“This announcement is a very welcome development for Irish Beef farmers and early indications are that it could be worth up to €100m a year to the Irish Beef Industry. Having a diverse export market is the key to the long-term sustainability of our beef sector.”
“The US market is only one of a number of markets that this government has successfully gained access to for the Irish agri-sector since coming to power in 2011. The real benefit of this announcement will be the potential for Irish access to other markets that use similar standards in safety and quality to the US such as China.”
“The fact that we are the only European country to have been given access to the US beef market since the BSE crisis speaks volumes for the quality and safety of Irish beef. There is significant international demand for high quality beef and we need ambitious production targets and rigorous adherence to quality standards to ensure that we can match this demand.”
“Last year was an extremely challenging one for the beef industry but with the establishment of the beef forum and the new beef pricing system coming into place this week combined with this announcement, 2015 has gotten off to a very good start. It is important that all the stakeholders in the beef forum must now continue to work together to ensure we can maximise potential benefits that new markets will offer.”
“I commend Minister Coveney for the manner in which he has overseen this crucial development for the Irish beef sector. Since becoming Minister for Agriculture he has worked tirelessly to gain access to markets in the Middle East and Asia for Irish Beef. This announcement further demonstrates his commitment to deliver for the Irish agri-sector.”