Kepak’s facility in Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath, has become the fifth beef processing unit in the country to obtain US Department of Agriculture (USDA) approval to export beef to America.

Earlier this week, the USDA published confirmation on its website that Kepak had been granted a licence to export beef to the US. During a trade mission to Chicago this week, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney also confirmed that Kepak became the fifth processor.

To be granted a licence to export beef to the US, processors had to adhere to strict criteria which resulted in some processors having to construct new production lines and replace existing ones.

Kepak joins ABP Clones, Dawn Charleville, Slaney Foods and Foyle in Donegal having been granted permission to export beef to America.

While the figures are widely disputed by the industry, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) said that Ireland exported just 31t of beef to the US for the first half of 2015. Minister Coveney hopes that this figures grows to 20,000t by the end of 2016.

The relatively low volumes relate to the difficulty in being able to send manufacturing beef to the US due to certain criteria. Manufacturing beef, at present, is a highly valuable commodity in the US due to the fact that the US beef herd is at its lowest since the 1950s.

Kepak becomes fifth processor to obtain US beef licence

Another Irish beef processor has been granted permission to export beef to the US.