The country's food promotion board, Bord Bia, says it is using the pigmeat approvals that came earlier this year to open up discussion on beef exports.

"We're finalizing everything on the pigmeat approvals and have begun to mention beef in our negotiations. So far, the Chinese authorities have been favourable to our suggestions," said David Eiffe, Bord Bia's Asia manager.

Beef is Ireland's single biggest export, according to Eiffe, and the country is the largest net exporter in the northern hemisphere.The small nation may have an advantage over US because it is testing 100 per cent of its beef, he said. He warned however that the pigmeat approvals took more than two years so a new export market for beef would not open up overnight.

Ireland's top two pork processors, Glanbia Meats and Dawn Pork & Bacon, have recently been approved by the Chinese authorities to export to the country and are waiting for the final certificates to be issued before shipments start, hopefully by the end of the year.

China is the world's largest pork producer and consumer, and is expected to become even larger as the world's biggest population becomes wealthier and spends more on meat.

Last year, per capita pork consumption reached 33 kilograms, higher than the world average, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

China is particularly attractive to European pork processors, currently battling low meat prices, because certain parts of the pig carcass not valued in Europe can be worth more than the cuts considered to be prime at home.

"It will be very beneficial for Ireland," said Eiffe. "You have to pay to destroy some of these products in Ireland, whereas here, they value them very highly." But he added that "the big win would be beef. We feel that the time is now right to start negotiations on that."

Source:佚名