DUBLIN, January 28 (Reuters) – China has suspended imports of Irish beef due to an outbreak of bluetongue disease in cattle, the Irish Agriculture Ministry said on Wednesday, just two weeks after China reopened the Irish beef market for the first time in more than a year.
Ireland reported its first outbreak of the disease in cattle in the country’s southeast on Saturday, and it was informed by Chinese authorities that they had suspended imports of Irish beef from Tuesday, the ministry said.
The virus has since been detected in three other cattle herds near the initial outbreak.
On January 12, during Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin’s visit to Beijing, China reopened the Irish beef import market, canceling the import market that had been suspended in 2024 due to the discovery of mad cow disease cases.
“This is disappointing news given the recent reopening of markets,” Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon said in a statement, adding that his department was engaging with Chinese authorities to resolve the suspension in a timely manner.
Bluetongue, which does not affect the safety of human or animal meat or milk, has been reported in several parts of Europe, including Northern Ireland, in recent months.
Most of Ireland’s output comes from the beef and dairy industries, which are the country’s major employers.
Hayden said on Saturday the outbreak had no impact on meat and dairy exports to the EU, UK and most other international markets.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin. Editing by Jane Merriman)
