The US ban on certain food products from the EU will be reviewed in a fortnight, it has been decided at a meeting between representatives of the US Department of Agriculture and the EU. According to Bord Bia's chief executive, Mr Michael Duffy, the actions of the USDA after that will depend on the progress of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe.
Europe is starting to calculate the cost of the ban on EU livestock, meat and dairy products by countries worldwide, including especially valuable markets such as the US, Canada, Australia and Japan.
Irish exports to the US are worth £300 million a year, without counting EU export subsidies, which bring it to about £340 million. The Canadian market takes about £50 million worth of Irish goods and Australia takes £22 million worth of products, mainly infant formula and cream liqueurs.
The Australian position on the import of infant formula is said to have "relaxed" since yesterday. The Japanese market is worth £58 million, £40 million of which is pigmeat.
Mr Gerry Kiely, head of the European Commission's farm affairs unit, said the US should respect the regionalised approach of dealing with the disease in Europe by dropping its trade ban on unaffected areas. The Canadian ban alone would cost the EU $1.5 billion, with France especially hard hit.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, would continue to make representations through the proper channels to any country which tried to include Ireland in an EU-wide ban, a Department of Agriculture spokesman said yesterday. "We should not be treated the same as a country which has foot-and-mouth disease. There is no justification, no reason why."
Mr Duffy said with proper certification, most Irish dairy products would be allowed into the US and permits would be necessary only in certain cases. Meat, mainly pigmeat from Ireland, would not be allowed in. However, there was a strong demand for pigmeat in Britain so the market should balance out.
Dr Noel Cawley, chief executive of the Irish Dairy Board, said the Department of Agriculture and the USDA were discussing final procedures in relation to the dairy products which would be allowed into the US, in particular, casein.