THE threat to the £300 million beef exports to Russia was real but has been lifted, Mr Larry Goodman, Ireland's largest beef processor, said in Carlow yesterday.
Mr Goodman, who was making his annual visit to the site, said that despite reports to the contrary, there had been a real threat to Ireland's beef exports.
However, as of this morning that has been lifted," said Mr Goodman who added that an official delegation from Ireland had gone to Russia to sort out the problem.
Mr Goodman, who said he was currently selling "vast quantities" of beef to Russia, confirmed that the authorities there had placed a November 1st deadline on imports.
"There was a great threat that the market would be closed on November 1st and a lot of exporters were trying to get product into Russia before that date," he said. "The latest word this morning is that threat has been removed and Russia will remain open.
He repeated that the threat had been very real" but there had been a great many representations made to the Russian authorities, especially from Ireland.
Mr Goodman said that competitors in the international markets were using media reports of BSE outbreaks in Britain and Ireland to damage the trade.
There had been some recovery in trade with the UK, he said, but international markets remained very difficult. Prices being paid for cattle were not likely to improve in the near future but the market had bottomed out.
On Wednesday, at the opening of the ploughing competitions, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, said he was unaware of any threat to the Irish trade with Russia. He pointed out that the largest consignment of beef ever to go to Russia had left that day and he had no formal communication from the authorities there that a ban was to be imposed.
On Thursday, the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Ahern, had called on Mr Yates to lead a delegation to Russia to ensure that the market would be protected.
Russia has been an invaluable market to Ireland since the BSE crisis, taking large quantities of forequarter beef at a price of 64 pence per lb. The exports have been supported by EU export refunds.
The Department of Agriculture denied last night that any official delegation had been to Russia but pledged to continue to help sort out any difficulties which might arise. It also said Russia's chief vet will visit Ireland next week.