Veterinary health certificate agreed for Irish beef to Thailand
Progress on securing market access for Irish beef to Thailand has been made through the agreement of a veterinary health certificate.
This was confirmed by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett, who today (Thursday, October 10) concluded Ireland’s agri-food trade mission to Thailand and Vietnam.
A key priority for this trade mission was to progress co-operation on trade and market access in meetings with the Minister of Agriculture and Co-operation in Thailand, Itthi Sirilatthayayakorn, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Vietnam.
Minister Hackett said: "We have made very significant progress on securing market access for Irish beef to Thailand, through the agreement of a veterinary health certificate.
"This paves the way for officials on both sides to finalise the remaining technical steps as soon as possible, and ultimately for Irish beef to enter the market in the near future.
"With a population of over 70 million and a significant number of food service establishments with a strong demand for quality, sustainable beef, the Thai market presents an excellent opportunity for Irish farmers, who are known for their commitment to quality and sustainability.”
Bord Bia chief executive, Jim O’Toole said: “We have had a very successful trip to Thailand with a strong focus on dairy and meat, which included the successful launch of an EU dairy campaign.
"At this event we targeted Thai dairy importers and manufacturers, demonstrating Ireland’s ability to respond to consumer demands for safely produced, high-quality dairy produce.
"Thailand is a country that is not self-sufficient in producing dairy and values Ireland’s rigorous quality assurance programmes under Origin Green to produce world-class food and drink.
"We have used this time in Bangkok to enhance our understanding of the market with a view to furthering commercial opportunities for Irish exporters in the region.”
Minister Hackett also confirmed that a Vietnamese audit team visited Ireland this past week to audit our systems of beef controls as part of our application for access for Irish beef to the Vietnamese market.
Minister Hackett also noted the significant positive engagement with Vietnam's Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development in recent years and in particular highlighted the work of Sustainable Food Systems Ireland through the Ireland-Vietnam Agri-Food Partnership.
This five year programme aims to provide Irish expertise in support of Vietnam’s objective of making its own food system more sustainable.
