The Department of Agriculture has reached an agreement with Turkish authorities which will allow Irish beef to be exported to Turkey.
The Turkish market has only recently re-opened to EU beef after 14 years and in the past few months, many Member States, like Ireland, have been negotiating with the Turkish authorities on certification issues. The opening up of the market follows a decision by the Government last Autumn to reduce customs tax from 225 per cent to 30 per cent.
Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith announced this morning that Ireland has reached agreement with the Turkish authorities on a veterinary health certificate, which will allow Irish beef from animals aged 30 months or under, subject to certain conditions, to be exported to Turkey.
The Minister pointed out that while 99 per cent of our beef exports go to the high-value EU market, Turkey, with a population of almost 75 million people, offers another potentially important outlet to the Irish beef industry.
The Irish Farmers' Association welcomed the move, which it said should help increase cattle prices.
IFA chairman John Bryan said that access to the high-priced Turkish market has already had a major impact on the beef market across Europe, with an increase in German cattle prices of €200 per head.
Last year saw the reopening of several other markets, Mr Smith said, including the Chinese and Russian markets for pigmeat, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisian and Moroccan markets for beef, the Moroccan market for live cattle and sheepmeat and the South Korean market for breeding pigs.
