China has suspended imports of Irish beef following the detection of an outbreak of bluetongue in Co Wexford last week, while more cases of the virus have been confirmed in three additional cattle herds in the county.
Minister for Agriculture said that his department informed Chinese authorities of the cases and that they "subsequently informed us that they have suspended the acceptance of Irish beef exported from Ireland with effect from 27 January 2026".
Minister Heydon added: "As with all temporary suspensions, it is a matter for the importing country when they will recommence the acceptance of exports of Irish Beef."
The development comes just over two weeks after the Chinese market reopened to Irish beef exports, after being closed since September 2024 following the discovery of an atypical case of BSE in a cow in Ireland.
Minister Heydon said the news was "disappointing" and that the Department of Agriculture and the Irish Embassy in Beijing are engaging with Chinese authorities "with a view to resolving the suspension in a timely manner".
Today the department has also confirmed that following testing, bluetongue has been detected in three additional herds in Co Wexford, all of which are located nearby the first herd in which the disease was found.
In the first herd seven cattle have been identified as having been infected, while in the three additional herds two had one infected bovine and one had two infected bovines.
It's understood none of these animals showed any clinical signs of bluetongue.
The department said surveillance in the area is continuing, with additional results due in the coming days.
Commenting on the situation, Minister Heydon said "early detection has been a crucial part of our strategy against the bluetongue virus and the rapid response reflects my Department's commitment to that".
Bluetongue is an animal disease that can cause severe illness in livestock, such as cattle and sheep, but also in goats, deer and llamas.
It does not pose any risk to human health or food safety.
However, it will affect live exports of cattle and sheep to some countries outside of the EU that require Ireland to have a disease free status requirement.
This will see such live exports to smaller markets such as the UAE suspended for 12 months.
Bluetongue is not contagious and is primarily transmitted through midges.
A midge that bites an infected animal will spread it to the next animal it bites, but the virus cannot replicate in a midge at temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius.
As a result, officials are hopeful that the recent drop in temperatures will mean the infection is unlikely to spread widely.
