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Julien Behal/PA Wire
Meaty Deal
Where's the beef? Lebanon, actually*
*Along with sheepmeat and cooked meats.
THE LEBANESE GOVERNMENT has sanctioned the resumption of Irish beef into the country.
Lebanese authorities had banned the importation of live cattle and beef from Ireland following the BSE crisis in 2001.
Prior to that, exports of Irish beef to Lebanon were worth approximately €5m a year.
The ban on the importing of live cattle was lifted in May 2001, following high-level contacts between the Department of Agriculture and Lebanese authorities. However, the agreement did not extend to beef.
That ban, along with a restriction on sheepmeat and cooked meats, has now been lifted, something that pleased agriculture minister Simon Coveney.
“This market will provide another valuable outlet for Irish product and will further enhance Ireland`s reputation as a source of high quality sustainably produced food. It follows the recent re-opening of other markets notably Japan during my recent visit with the Taoiseach there.
“These market openings are key to growing Irish exports as seen in last week’s Bord Bia figures for 2013 as well as helping achieve the targets set out in the Food Harvest 2020 Strategy.”
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