Exports of Irish beef have resumed to China, with the first shipment from Ireland to Shanghai arriving yesterday.
The trade has resumed after a ban on Irish beef was lifted in January.
The ban had been imposed following the discovery of a single case of atypical BSE in this country in 2020.
Coinciding with the first shipment, Bord Bia has relaunched a beef promotional campaign in China.
Access for Irish beef to China was first granted in 2018 and the trade in 2019 was worth €40 million.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a neurological disease in cattle, most often caused by contaminated feed.
Atypical BSE cases can occur naturally in all cattle populations however, and has only been identified in older animals.
The 2020 Tipperary case occurred in a 14-year-old cow.
Bord Bia's China Manager Conor O'Sullivan said that Bord Bia over the next two months will be exhibiting at two major international meat trade shows in China - the China International Meat Industry Exhibition (CIMIE) and SIAL China in May - to showcase Irish beef to Chinese buyers.
"After first entering in 2018, Ireland quickly established a reputation as a leading supplier of grass-fed beef in China," Mr O'Sullivan said.
"We had a lot of success building market share into higher value foodservice and retail channels. We are eager to regain that significant momentum in China," he added.
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