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Cattle exports are to get a major push next week when Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed visits Turkey.
He will attend the 13th International Agriculture and Livestock Exhibition in Izmir, at the invitation of the Turkish Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, HE Ahmet Esref Fakibaba.
Minister Creed, who will be accompanied by a Bord Bia team and exporters, will meet with Minister Fakibaba and also with the ESK, which is the Turkish Meat and Milk Board. There will also be talks in place with Turkish livestock importers.
Representatives of Purcell Brothers and Viastar, the companies most active in recent exports to Turkey, will take part in the trip.
Ireland exported 30,500 cattle to Turkey in 2017.
However, the most recent contract for supply of feeder bulls is now complete and the major exporters have no new contract on hand.
A spokesperson for Minister Creed said that Turkey’s technical and logistical rules for imports were significant and demanding.
Animal welfare is a very significant factor, he also said, both in terms of the transport of the animals and journey length, and the method of slaughter applying post-import.
“Ireland has a very good record in respect of the quality and condition of the cattle delivered.”
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