China, Ireland to ink pork trade protocol

China and Ireland will sign a protocol on pork trade, visiting Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland said Tuesday while attending the Seminar on Irish Food and Drinks in Beijing.

Predicting the agreement as "a watershed in the active initiation of trade in meat products between the two countries," Ahern said Chinese Vice-Premier Huang Ju promised on his visit to Ireland in November that progress in relation to the signing of such a protocol was imminent.

"I hope that we can take this step further in the future in relation to Irish beef. Today is a great opportunity to commence that process," Ahern said in an opening remark for the very first public event he attended after he arrived Monday in Beijing.

Although meat products are a major focus of Ireland's current efforts to establish trading links with China, the country already has a very active dairy products sector trading into China, he said.

"We also export fish, and a consistent pattern of growth in trade with China has developed in recent years. We would like to see a major expansion in these areas in the future," he said.

Irish food exports to China were close on 20 million euros last year and while modest in overall terms, the figure itself marked the very substantial rate of growth in trade in the past three years, Ahern said.

Although Ireland has been the leader among its European Union partners in recording exceptionally strong growth levels over the last few years, he noted that Ireland recognizes in China the exceptional turnaround in its economy with average growth rates of10 percent annually and is extremely impressed with the manner in which the growth has been achieved.

To tap the potential market with 1.3 billion population, Ahernhas brought with him a large delegation of 30 business representatives and officials crucial to the food and drink sectors of Ireland.

At the seminar initiated by the Irish Food Board, the Irish Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Embassy of Ireland to China, participants were given a panorama of the food island of Ireland.

Chief Irish Veterinary Officer Paddy Moore of the Department of Agriculture and Food, who is also a member of the European Union Standing Veterinary Committee, was invited to give a presentation on Ireland's official controls and regulations in the food chain.

"We also want to demonstrate the range of guarantees we can offer about the safety and quality of the food and drinks produced in Ireland and we want to show you these guarantees are measurable, comparable, internationally benchmarked as well as being scientifically verifiable," said minister Mary Coughlan for Agriculture and Food.

"During the course of this week, we hope to raise the profile of Irish food and drinks and introduce them to Chinese importers, demonstrating the innovative nature of product development in Ireland, the range and variety of consumer foods on offer and the capacity we have to be consistent and reliable suppliers at competitive prices," she said.

The fact that Bertie Ahern has been present here is a powerful indication of his personal support for this effort to expand trade in food and drinks with China, she said.

"I am convinced that enhanced levels of contact between both administrations will remove any obstacles to the development of trade between our two nations," she said.

Source: Xinhua