“What is the point in the minister leading trade missions to countries, when there is no route to market?” Fianna Fáil spokesperson on food, Jackie Cahill has asked.

“As Minister for Agriculture, Micheal Creed has a responsibility to ensure that our exporters can secure enough berths for live exports. The beef export industry is a crucial component of Irish agriculture and a failure to export the 140,000 target will jeopardise beef prices and damage farm incomes.”

Creed is currently on a trade mission to Turkey, where he announced that private sector buyers would be permitted to import cattle for fattening from the end of May.

However, the Stena Horizon is being withdrawn from service this month for four weeks of refurbishment. This coincides with a time when large numbers of calves are usually exported. Last year exports commenced in significant volumes in the week ending 19 February, with 1,197 calves exported.

According to Cahill, at least 140,000 cattle need to be exported by April 2018 to maintain beef prices.

“This is already a very narrow window for such a large quantity of animals to be transported to the continent. Even without the loss of a major ferry, it is a difficult endeavour. I have been informed that as of now there are no plans to source a replacement this year.”

However, the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has said that “the number of berths maintained by shipping companies is a commercial matter for the companies themselves”.

In response to a parliamentary question on Tuesday, he said “officials of my Department have been working closely with the shipping companies in recent months to ensure that the greatest facilitation possible is afforded to livestock exporters in the important spring period”.

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Exporters hope new ferry to Spain will carry calves