2026-03-19

81. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is putting a fund in place to help offset the cost of live exports of animals in view of the extra cost incurred for vaccines and PCR tests for live exporters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20960/26]

Is the Minister putting a fund in place to offset the cost of live exports with the new requirements from different countries for PCR tests and vaccines? I ask him to make statement on the matter.

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice for raising the important issue of live exports. Whether it is live exports or agrifood, my role and that of my Department is to ensure market access for Irish farmers' produce. We need to provide the greatest number of opportunities and outlets to give the best possible return for those who export it and the companies that handle it. Obviously, that will drive a return for the farmers who produce that agricultural produce. At present, I do not have any plans to introduce a fund or specific financial support scheme to cover or contribute to the costs of vaccines or laboratory tests associated with live exports. These costs are considered part of the commercial and regulatory obligations associated with participation in certain export markets. While some export markets require vaccination or pre-export testing, in other markets this is not a requirement. My Department will, however, continue to engage with industry stakeholders and monitor developments in export requirements to ensure that Ireland remains competitive while maintaining the highest standards of animal health and welfare. Specifically in relation to bluetongue, conditions of derogations applied by other member states are set by the competent authorities in those member states, not by my Department. The vast majority of our exports of cattle, however, are to EU markets where no vaccination or pre-export testing is required. I recently co-ordinated closely with my Northern Ireland counterpart, as the Deputy will be aware, to ensure that cross-Border trade had been able to resume with no additional requirements. That has been very important. Since confirmation of bluetongue virus in Ireland in January, my Department has engaged successfully with a number of third country markets, for example, Algeria and Tunisia, to amend veterinary health certificate requirements to allow trade to resume. That is my and my Department's role. It is to make sure that where there are blockages, my officials engage with officials in the relevant member state or third country and look to agree a set of conditions. Those conditions, however, are set down by the receiving country. We do not set them. We negotiate with those countries and try to make sure we have access.

I thank the Minister's Department for getting the health certs done in each country. I am not debating whatsoever what other countries do, and I agree with him that other countries set this down. However, the fact is that other countries in Europe have brought in funds to help with exporting. The Minister will be aware that in some of those countries, first, you have to quarantine and, second, you have to do either PCR tests or vaccines. A vaccine, no matter how you go, is €15. The Minister knows as well as I do that we need a live export trade. In fairness to the live exporters, they go out and source the market. It is not Bord Bia that does it for them. They source those markets themselves. They do not have the same representation as the likes of the meat factories would have abroad. The Minister will have seen over recent weeks, especially since Christmas, the way the factories look at the charts in the league of meat prices throughout Europe. We are at the bottom now and the factories are basically taking advantage. We need live exports. I know the Minister is in favour of them but, as regards the extra cost, no one saw this coming. Yes, exporters have to pay for boats and everything else, but these are new costs put on top of them. Would the Minister consider a fund?

While I accept that and accept it is difficult for exporters at the moment, and they are meeting a lot of competition from farmers in the marts for these cattle, too, because of a shortage of cattle and a big demand from farmers for them, which makes it a challenging space, I think we would be having a much different conversation here if I had failed to reopen trade with Northern Ireland and if we had failed to gain access to the likes of Algeria and Tunisia. I understand that the conditions for exporters are challenging and that there is that increased cost where certain countries have set down criteria, but no more than with food or drink requirements and certificates - we export our dairy produce, our beef produce, Irish whiskey and beyond to 180 countries around the world - the receiving countries set those requirements, as they are entitled to do. We have to work with them and negotiate around those. I presume most of the points the Deputy raises relate to bluetongue. We have had a number of renegotiated health certificates and we have been doing that for the past two years now, mindful that there was a likelihood bluetongue would come here at some stage.

I understand fully what the Minister says. The certificates are done by other countries but, in fairness to anybody exporting, there was no quarantining when exporting four months ago. Trade is trade. Whether it is a farmer or an exporter going for it, good luck. That keeps the price up. That is the good part of that. Four months ago, however, this was not needed. This is a new regulation that has been brought in. Yes, the Minister is right that it is other countries that want it - I do not disagree whatsoever - but with the number of cattle being exported, if they have to be PCR tested and have to have everything done with them in the line of vaccination, it will cost a lot of money. If there were all that much money to be got out of it, everyone in exporting would be a multimillionaire, but the fact is that there is not. This is another layer that you either have to try to knock out of the guy buying it in some other country or take the hit. Will the Department sit down with exporters and try to work out a cohesive plan?

As I said, there is ongoing engagement between exporters and officials in my Department, particularly in the veterinary health section. That was recognised in terms of the revised health certificates for Tunisia, which were secured on 18 February, and Algeria, to which we saw approximately 3,500 cattle exported in 2025 and 2,000 in 2024. That is all really important. The Deputy is dead right that live exports are an important part of Ireland's livestock industry. I understand they play a role in the price in other ways as well, for example, stimulating price competition and providing an alternative market outlet for farmers. That is why my Department facilitates this trade, and we continue to do so. We continue to engage on all other types of trade. On 12 February, we managed to secure a revised veterinary health certificate for hides and skins to China, which is a most significant market for this commodity to Irish exporters. That was really important. In addition, we secured an interim trade certificate between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Ireland on 18 February, which allowed dairy exports to Canada to resume. Every child is equally favoured, from exporters to all the others, and we continue to work with and engage with them, mindful of the pressures they are under and the important role they play.