Minister McConalogue welcomes important step towards opening of US market to sheepmeat exports

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. today welcomed an announcement that the US ban on sheep meat exports from the EU has been lifted.

Minister McConalogue said,

“This announcement represents the removal of a major impediment to access to the US market. This development is very significant and paves the way for full market access for Irish sheep meat. My Department, in collaboration with the Embassy of Ireland in Washington, has worked hard over several years to ensure that the ban was lifted. We will now engage with US authorities on the next steps to full access and to ensure that Irish sheepmeat exports to this valuable market will be able to commence as soon as possible. This is an important recognition of the hard work our sheep farmers carry out in producing a top-quality product.”

Minister of State for new market development, Martin Heydon TD, commented:

“Having recently met with a delegation from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) this market access for sheepmeat is welcome news for our sheep sector. In preparation for this key step, and to ensure Ireland was well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity in a timely manner, a number of important actions have been taken by my Department, in cooperation with Bord Bia and industry, over several years”.

The key steps included:

• In September 2017, the US Competent Authority conducted an onsite audit of Ireland’s meat inspection system, including sheepmeat.

• In May 2018, the report of that Audit was finalised and detailed discussion followed towards securing equivalency for Irelands sheepmeat inspection system.

• In April 2019, the US Competent Authority notified DAFM that it was reinstating the equivalence of Ireland’s sheepmeat inspection system.

A focus on the key importance of this issue was also maintained at both Ministerial and official level meeting on both trade missions to the US and incoming visits, and through the Embassy of Ireland in Washington.

Notes for Editors:

1. Sheepmeat is a niche product in the US accounting for a small but growing percentage of total meat consumption.

2. Consumption has been growing by between 2-3% annually for some time, reaching 194,000 tonnes (cwe) in 2020, whereas domestic US sheepmeat production stood at circa 63,000 tonnes (cwe) in 2020.

3. Total annual sheepmeat imports have increased from 75,000 tonnes in 2010 to an estimated 134,000 tonnes in 2020 and are expected to hold steady through to 2025.

4. Australia, the largest supplier to the global market, is the major supplier of lamb to the US accounting for 76% of imports followed by New Zealand which accounts for a further 23% of total imports.