Simon Coveney, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in Ireland, today (5 January) said he was delighted the US market was now open to Irish beef, stating that it was a "huge prize", given the size of the market and the demand for premium grass-fed beef.
The US banned beef from the EU in January 1998, on the grounds of BSE risk.
"This is the culmination of two years of intensive work between my department and our US counterparts to prove our credentials as a supplier of the highest-quality premium beef," he said.
"We now have first-mover advantage as a result of being the first EU member state to gain entry. There is also the large Irish-American community, which will be a key target of our promotional efforts for Irish beef now."
The achievement follows a successful inspection of Ireland’s beef production systems by US authorities in July last year, and means the Irish authorities will now be able to approve individual beef plants to export to the US – approval for which will be based on agreed criteria with their US counterparts.
Coveney added that the announcement by the US was a "huge endorsement of Irish beef and our production and regulatory systems".
"It complements the other market access outlets we have secured in the last two years, all of which are a key element of our Food Harvest 2020 strategy to expand the overseas opportunity for Irish beef.
"It’s clear that diversifying our international beef markets as an exporting country is key to the long-term sustainability of our beef sector."
The ministry and Bord Bía are to announce a number of initiatives in the coming weeks, including a dedicated website aimed at American consumers and buyers.