The Irish Government has announced that Irish beef exports have been granted access to the Chinese market. Credit: jereskok.

Irish beef manufacturing companies can now export their products to China following long negotiations between the Chinese authorities and the Irish minister for agriculture, food and the marine Michael Creed.

According to news group RTÉ, three beef companies – ABP, Slaney Meats, and Donegal Meat Processors – have all been given approval to export to China. Five more Irish beef processing plants are expected to commence exports in the near future.

The announcement means that Ireland is the first European country to secure access to the Chinese Market for the import of beef products. In 2017, China imported more than 700,000t of beef and consumption is rising.

The demand for beef in China is currently 4kg to 6kg annually per capita, compared with 19kg in Ireland. China’s huge population means that a 1kg rise per capita in China would equate to an additional 1.38 million tonnes of beef being needed per year. Estimates suggest that Chinese consumers will eat almost nine million tonnes of beef by 2020.

Irish food and drink group Bord Bía welcomed the announcement, with CEO Tara McCarthy commenting that her organisation has been actively planning for the decision and is now ready to take advantage of the potential business opportunities for Irish beef exporters.

She said: “Today’s timely announcement follows just days after we hosted the China Meat Association and 17 senior representatives from leading Chinese meat importers as part of our Marketplace International event. All of the visiting Chinese delegates had the opportunity to visit Irish beef farms and processors, giving them a first-hand experience and insight into Irish food production.

“The opening of Irish beef access is testimony to our industry’s strength, reputation and proven track record in the Chinese market.”​

According to McCarthy, Ireland’s agricultural and food industry have developed strong trade ties with China in recent years: “Exports were valued at almost €1bn last year, while China is our second largest export market for dairy and pork, behind the UK.”