DUBLIN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Another Irish beef plant has been approved for export to China, bringing to seven the total number of such Irish exporters to the Chinese market, announced Irish Agriculture Minister Michael Creed on Tuesday.
Creed made the announcement in a press release one year after he announced the opening of the Chinese beef market to Ireland in April 2018.
China imposed a long-time ban on the beef imports from Ireland and some of the other European countries due to the mad cow disease found there years back.
Ireland is the first that has been allowed to export its beef products to China among the European countries where the epidemic was detected.
According to the press release, Ireland exported an estimated 1,400 tonnes of beef to China in 2018.
The minister believed that the Chinese market potential for the Irish beef exports as well as for other Irish agri-food exports is far from being fully tapped taking into account the rapidly growing demand by the Chinese for quality food.
He said in the press release that he will lead a trade mission to China next month during which he will "try to progress sheepmeat access to China" as part of the trade mission there.
Currently Ireland has gained a comfortable pigmeat access to the Chinese market. Five Irish pigmeat producers have been approved for export to China. China is now the second largest market for the Irish pigmeat exports, said the minister.
