The Government will be applying pressure on the European Union to increase its export subsidies to allow resumption of the £200 million beef trade with Egypt which yesterday announced a conditional lifting of its ban on EU beef.
The good news for Ireland is that it is the only EU beef exporting state that will be able to meet the strict criteria set by the Egyptians. These include the provision of cattle under 24 months from herds free of BSE for three years.
Other conditions include the removal of the specified risk materials, traceability, veterinary controls, a continuing ban on feeding meat and bone meal to animals, continued testing for BSE and inspections on controls by the Egyptians themselves.
The announcement was made by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Mr Walsh, who said it was a major breakthrough which allowed the long-awaited trade to resume. He praised the work done by his colleagues in Government and the Civil Service.
He had visited Egypt several times and had been in touch with the Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister, Dr Wali, in recent days. Senior veterinary officials from Egypt visited Ireland in August and made a favourable report to their Government on the Irish controls. Mr Walsh said that while the general ban on European beef has been extended, the exemptions are to a large extent based on the way in which BSE has been dealt with in Ireland.
Mr Tom Parlon, the IFA president, said it should give a major boost to the sector and immediately lift cattle prices from their cur rent low base of 79p/80p per lb.
Mr Pat O'Rourke, of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association, said it was a vote of confidence in the safety and quality of Irish beef and he would be seeking an increase in export refunds from the EU. However, a note of caution was sounded by the Irish Meat Association chief executive, Mr John Smith, representing the meat plants, who welcomed the report but said the industry would await the details on the rules the Egyptians have applied.