The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, has said he is disappointed that the EU Commission did not propose an increase in the export refunds on beef and live cattle at the meeting of the Beef Management Committee yesterday.
He said that despite his pressing the issue intensively both at council and at official level it was proving difficult to convince the Commission of the necessity of the increase.
He remained concerned about the loss of market share in Egypt, particularly for live cattle. He said the current price differential presented the Irish beef industry with a good opportunity to exploit the European consumer market.