A formal protocol on the export of frozen beef from Ireland to China was signed by Chinese minister Zhi Shuping and Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed this week.

Minister Zhi was in Ireland for two days and the protocol signing was described by Minister Creed as “another major milestone in the process of getting Irish beef into the Chinese market”.

The next stage of the lengthy process will be for Irish officials to study Chinese consumer safety legislation and veterinary certification, followed by a visit from the Chinese Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) to approve individual Irish meat plants for export.

Disappointed

“It’s a question of when now rather than if,” Creed said. “I’d be disappointed if we didn’t have health inspections in 2017.”

His statement echoed the words of An Taoiseach Enda Kenny in May 2015 when Chinese premier Li Keqiang visited a farm in Mayo. Kenny said at that time that Irish beef would be approved for export to China by the end of 2015.

The commitment signed this week was in relation to frozen beef produced from animals aged under 30 months.

Irish agri food exports to China tripled between 2012 and 2016, increasing from €240m in 2012 to €780m in 2016. This made China the third-largest market for Ireland’s agri food sector in value terms after the UK and the US last year.

China is the second-biggest export market for Irish pigmeat and dairy and it is hoped that it will become an equally important market for beef. While Ireland has no direct access to China, beef exports to Hong Kong totalled about 1,500t last year, according to Bord Bia.

Last year, China was the second-largest importer of beef in the world, taking in 825,000t. This is expected to rise to 1.2m tonnes by 2025.