By Tom Westcott.
London, 21 December:
Imports of cattle from Ireland should restart by February 2013, said the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, . . .[restrict]at a recent Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association meeting.
According to the Irish Independent, Coveney said that his officials were working hard on a getting a boat approved for live exports in early 2013. “Libya is the most likely destination,” he said.
Coveney added that livestock could be hurt if shipped in January, when the notorious Bay of Biscay has very rough seas, making February a better option.
A specialised walk on-walk off livestock vessel was assessed by the Irish Department for Agriculture earlier this year, when imports from Ireland were originally due to restart. It is not clear if this type of ship will be used next year.
The proposed 2013 imports will be the first in 17 years from Ireland to Libya. Trade ceased in 1996 when, following an outbreak of BSE, Libya banned all cattle imports from Europe.
Before that, Libya and Ireland had been trading in cattle since the 1960s. During the European fuel crisis of 1973-4, Ireland exchanged cattle for Libyan oil. Irish imports peaked in 1995 at 81,420 cows, worth some €70 million.
The Libyan beef market is a lucrative one for European farmers, especially Irish farmers, whose livestock sector is worth €2 billion a year overall. Irish beef exporters face competition, however, as France, Spain and Italy are already shipping cows to Libya.
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