THE Egyptian authorities may now believe they acted over-hastily in banning the trade in live cattle from Ireland, the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Mr Michael Dowling, said yesterday.
He told the Committee of Public Accounts: "I think they have been convinced their action was on the hasty side."
A technical team from Egypt will arrive next Sunday to study Irish animal health safeguards. Mr Dowling said there were sound technical and scientific reasons why the six-month ban should be curtailed or dropped.
There was also a commercial reason.
Mr Dowling told the committee that cattle prices in the southern hemisphere - Egypt's alternative source of supply - were rising. The Egyptians could see it was desirable to have a second source of supply.
Mr John Ellis (FF), acting chairman of the committee, asked Mr Dowling how far the Department would authorise the export of live cattle.
Egypt was the furthest point, Mr Dowling replied, on animal welfare grounds. Mr Ellis said it would take weeks to ship cattle from Australia to Egypt. Mr Dowling replied that animal welfare would appear to be a bigger consideration in Europe than in Australia.
Mr Dowling said Ireland exported 35,000 tonnes of cattle to Egypt in 1996. But the trade in carcase beef was developing very strongly and last year Egypt bought 30,000 tonnes.
He told the committee that every effort was being made to reopen the Iranian and Libyan markets for Irish beef. Mr Dowling said he was hopeful of an early resumption of trade with Libya
Mr Ellis asked why the Department of Agriculture had not challenged a decision by the European Commission to disallow nearly £500,000 in beef export refunds in respect of beef shipped to Yemen.
Mr Dowling said they had made a judgment that there were more important issues to be pursued with the Commission, such as the question of fines on the Irish beef-processing industry.
Mr Dowling told the committee that the estimate for his Department in 1997 contained an item of £10 million for money outstanding in beef tribunal fees.
Mr Dowling said the Department had paid £13.3 million in legal expenses in connection with the tribunal, including legal fees of £3.6 million to lawyers and others representing the State and the tribunal.