Irish beef could soon be sold in Turkey, as officials have been negotiating with the Turkish authorities on certification issues.
The Turkish market has only recently reopened to EU beef after 14 years and in the past few months, many member states, like Ireland, have been negotiating with the Turkish authorities on certification issues.
While 99% of Irish beef exports go to the high-value EU market, Turkey, with a population of almost 75m people, offers another potentially important outlet to the Irish beef industry.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Brendan Smith said his department had reached agreement with the Turkish authorities on a veterinary health certificate.
This will allow Irish beef from animals aged 30 months or under, subject to certain conditions, to be exported to Turkey.
Minister Smith said 2010 had been a very successful one, which had seen the reopening of several other markets including the Chinese and Russian markets for pig meat, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisian and Moroccan markets for beef, the Moroccan market for live cattle and sheep meat and the South Korean market for breeding pigs.
IFA President John Bryan said the move to open the Turkish market for Irish beef exports was very positive, and should help to improve prices for farmers.
He said Bord Bia and industry sources have indicated that Turkey could handle imports of 150,000 tonnes annually and become a major destination for European beef in the future.
