26 February 2009

2 minute read

Europe

Minister Smith stated “this is a very significant development for the Irish livestock breeding sector because, for the first time, the large and potentially lucrative Chinese market will be available to Irish companies who can offer quality genetics in Irish bovine semen to Chinese customers”.

The Minister said that in order to allow the export of bovine semen from Ireland to China, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food had to satisfy the requirements of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ). Access was secured, he said, following two visits to Ireland by Chinese officials who carried out detailed and rigorous inspections of Irish companies who wished to export bovine semen to China.

Two companies, South Eastern Cattle Breeding Society Limited, Thurles, and the National Cattle Breeding Centre, Enfield, have now been approved for export of semen and Minister Smith stated that he was confident that more Irish companies would be approved in the future by the Chinese authorities.

Minister Smith stated that “the securing of market access was the culmination of intensive efforts by my Department in conjunction with An Bord Bia and the Department of Foreign Affairs”.

The Minister said that Ireland is now globally recognised for having an advanced animal breeding structure and he paid tribute to the work of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) in ensuring that livestock breeding in Ireland has benefited from the application of the latest technologies to the livestock breeding sector.

TheCattleSite News Desk