Sligo ICMSA man welcomes Egyptian Live Exports progress - ‘underlines potential If groper Focus given’

Commenting on the reports of progress in the potentially valuable Egyptian market for live exports, ICMSA Livestock Committee Chairperson and Enniscrone farmer, Des Morrison, said that this was exactly the kind of focus and concerted efforts that his organisation had been calling for over the last 18 months but farmers need to see delivery on this matter through cattle actually being exported to this market. Mr Morrison said no-one expected markets to be opened “with the wave of a wand” but, by the same token, it was not unreasonable to expect the various agencies involved to come together and really co-ordinate efforts and work towards dealing with the administrative, legal and logistical obstacles in the way of developing our live exports to growing markets like Egypt. Mr Morrison noted that ICMSA had raised precisely this point with Minister Creed at last week’s ICMSA AGM.

“What will jump out for observers of our efforts at developing live exports is the obvious importance and progress made through the face-to-face encounter between Minister of State Breen and the Egyptian Deputy Minister and the message that sends that we have to actually go to meet these customers and find out exactly what is hindering our live exports - indeed all our agri-related exports - and then actively tackle and remove those hinderances. The second thing is related to the first; this delegation and trade mission was the first to Egypt in eight years – I think many farmers will be a little disappointed that we seemed to ignore a market of nearly 100 million people for that duration. ICMSA will go on repeating what we told Minister Creed last week and on innumerable occasions before: we need a dedicated unit comprising officials from his own Department, Transport and Foreign Affairs, Bord Bia, live exporters and vets, with the single remit of identifying and removing those obstacles to a serious increase in our live export numbers”, said Mr Morrison.

He concluded by saying that this Egyptian progress underlined the potential that was undoubtedly there if the proper focus was given to the issue.

At the launch of the Upcoming Energy in Poultry Event on the poultry farm of Finian O’Harte today were (L-R): Michael Duffy, Teagasc Poultry Advisor; Finian O’Harte, Poultry farmer; Minister for Business, Enterprise, and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD; Con Feighery, Teagasc and Ciaran McCabe, IFAC.

Des Morrison, Chairperson of ICMSA Livestock Committee.