Irish beef and sheepmeat have been banned in the GCC countries of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Bahrain for over a decade, due to concerns over scrapie and BSE.
Although Saudi Arabia recently lifted its ban on Irish beef and the UAE has lifted its ban on Irish beef, sheepmeat and poultry, the lifting of the GCC-wide ban will mean that Irish producers can export beef and sheepmeat to the whole region, which is oil-rich and has a combined population of almost 43.5m people.
Minister Simon Coveney said the decision to lift the ban was the result of hard work by his department, Irish Embassies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and Bord Bía, which culminated in an inspection visit to Ireland by a delegation from the GCC in February this year.
He added that it was “a clear signal from the GCC of their confidence in the rigorous controls and excellent standards of food safety in Ireland”.
Beef and lamb exports to the GCC will begin once the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has agreed veterinary health certificates with the GCC countries.