Independent TD Carol Nolan has said she will be engaging with the Minister for Agriculture to establish why Ireland has seen beef imports hit almost 70,000 tonnes since the start of 2022.
Deputy Nolan was speaking after the Minister confirmed trade data on beef imports from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) which show that over 14,000 tonnes of beef was imported into the country between January and March of this year.
This comes on the back of 54,000 tonnes of beef imports in 2022.
Deputy Nolan said: “The final report of the Beef Taskforce that was set up in 2019 articulated a clear demand from stakeholders that the Irish Government should seek the invocation by the EU of the World Trade Organisation’s safeguard clause to reduce the level of beef imports from third countries.
“That does not appear to have happened and I want to know what the reason for that is.
“In fact, the final progress report of the Beef Taskforce from July 2021 notes that the DAFM was, at that point, continuing to lobby for continued support of these measures at EU level.
“I also want to know why that lobbing appears to have failed.
“It is quite clear to me, as it is to farming organisations such as the ICSMA that serious questions need to be answered as to why tens of thousands of tonnes of beef are being imported annually into the state when our own beef farmers are routinely told by industry that demand is low or fluctuating.”
“Something does not add up.
“Farmers will not be taken for fools and neither should the general public. Even the Beef Taskforce conclusions recognised the need to ensure that imports which do not meet the same stringent standards as EU producers are banned.
“We cannot have the world class reputation of Irish beef damaged by allowing the importation of sub-standard product that is then marketed as Irish produce both here and abroad,” Deputy Nolan concluded.
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