DUBLIN: Irish beef exports to the US were worth just €194,000 for the first six months of 2015, well short of the Government’s €100 million target by the end of the year.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reveal that only 31 tonnes of beef has been shipped to the US since the much-publicised lifting of the ban in January.
At the time, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney predicted the US could take up to 20,000 tonnes of Irish beef, worth €100 million, this year and more in subsequent years.
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Minister for Health Simon Coveney, who has said there was no risk to human health.
“Improving profitability at farm level will be key to a strong future for the livestock sector,” says IFA president Eddie Downey.
The figures will come as a disappointment to the industry, which had been hoping to take advantage of historically high US beef prices and a growing demand for hormone-free, grass-fed beef.
The Republic remains the only EU state to be granted access to the US market since the BSE-inspired embargo of the late 1990s, affording the industry here a first-mover advantage on European rivals.
However, experts believe the trade will not take off until the current licence is widened to include mince, known in the trade as manufactured beef, which is driven by demand from the burger industry.
Currently, the deal forged between Dublin and Washington is only for high-value steak cuts, such as fillet, rib-eye and sirloin, which represent a small portion of the US import market.
Bord Bia’s beef market specialist Joe Burke acknowledged the figures were weaker than those predicted at the start of the year, suggesting they reflect the “high returns” currently available in Europe. This may have acted as a disincentive for exporters to seek markets elsewhere, he said.
Trade with the UK, the State’s biggest beef export market, has risen this year despite a slowdown in output, with exporters benefiting from the relative weakness of the euro.
