Roscrea beef exports to China resume

Beef processed in Roscrea will soon return to dinner plates in China after an export ban on Irish beef has been lifted.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, announced the resumption of Irish beef exports to China, giving the green light for three sites in Tipperary to resume exports.

Before the two-and-a-half year ban brought about due to concerns over BSE, the Chinese market previously imported Irish beef to the tune of €96 million in 2019.

Chinese buyers of Irish beef have placed orders with a number of processors and cattle eligible for export to China have been processed in a number of facilities throughout Ireland as of Friday last, January 27.

24 Irish sites are currently listed on the China Imported Food Enterprise Registration (CIFER) website, who are approved to export beef to China, with some of these sites slaughtering cattle while other sites store or process the beef.

ABP in Cahir, ABP in Nenagh and Ashbourne Meat Processors in Roscrea are the Tipperary facilities which have resumed exports to China.

Irish beef exports to China were worth €45-million in 2020, down from exports of €96-million in 2019.

In May 2020, Irish beef shipments to China were suspended following the confirmation of an isolated case of BSE. The isolated case did not enter the food chain and posed no risk to human health.

However, beef exports to China were immediately suspended as a precautionary measure, which was a serious blow to the local industry.