Ireland's €35 million beef trade with Russia could be stopped from January 1st, from when Russia has threatened to ban the import of EU food in a row over its continuing ban on beef imports from Poland.
The failure to agree the new EU-Russia partnership deal last week, which covered wider issues such a energy supplies, has increased the problems and complicated the route to a solution.
Munster MEP Brian Crowley yesterday confirmed that he and his three party colleagues would tomorrow meet the Russian ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, who is Russia's chief negotiator.
Mr Crowley called on EU president Jose Manuel Barroso and the Finnish presidency to redouble their efforts to resolve the issue of the Russian ban on Polish meat exports before the situation worsens.
Robin Smith of the Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers Association said it was extremely concerned at the possibility of a ban on EU meat and other food products from the new year.
He said beef exports to Russia last year amounted to 27,000 tonnes which was valued at more than €35 million.