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Chinese minister Zhi Shuping and a delegation from the AQSIQ (general administration of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine) ministry have arrived in Ireland for a two-day visit, bringing with them the hope that China will finally open its doors to Irish beef.
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed was scheduled to have dinner with the delegation on Monday night.
It is understood that beef from Charleville, Co Cork, and pork from Co Waterford were on the menu.
On Tuesday morning, both ministers will meet again at the Department of Agriculture in Kildare Street, Dublin, where they will brief the media.
Minister Shuping’s AQSIQ brief spans food health and safety. This would include the detailed certification process required for all beef imports into China.
This is the final hurdle Ireland needs to clear in order to start shipping beef to the potentially huge Chinese market.
Potential market
Last year, China was the second-largest importer of beef in the world, taking in 825,000t. Beef imports by the Asian nation are expected to rise to 1.2m tonnes by 2025.
Currently, China imports large quantities of beef from Brazil, Australia, Argentina and Uruguay.
Beef from the EU was banned from China in 2000 due to BSE, however China lifted that ban in 2015.
Industry experts believe that should Ireland secure access for beef, China could quickly become Ireland’s second most important destination after the UK, and grow to 10% of export sales.
Beef destined for the Chinese market would have to come from cattle under 30 months old.
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