DUBLIN: The volume of Irish beef exported to the US in 2016 is likely to pass the total volume shipped last year, the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has said. During the first six months of the year, he said, Irish processors shipped 1,200t of beef across the Atlantic to the US beef market.
Responding to a question from Fianna Fail’s spokesperson on agriculture Charlie McConalogue, Minister Creed said Ireland received a reputational boost in 2015 as it was the first Member State to gain access to the US beef market. “This represents an exceptionally strong start to this trade considering that the first exports only went in March 2015 and some of the plants were only approved for export in September 2015,” he said.
Minister Creed also said that the decision by the US to extend its approval for Irish beef to include manufacturing beef is a huge endorsement of Irish beef and our production and regulatory systems.
“This recent extension of our access in the US has the capability to be a significant boost to the sector over a period of time,” he said.
Grass-fed hormone-free beef is gaining traction in the US market place, he said, and as the US market imports 1m tonne of beef on an annual basis, it is a potential prize for the Irish beef industry.
