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SIMON COVENEY IS on his way to China, hoping that by the time he returns, he’ll have converted more of the population to Kerrygold and other Irish delights.
The Agriculture Minister is leading 37 companies on a major trade mission to five of the country’s major cities.
The firms are hoping to tap into the world’s second largest economy, gaining access to the 1.3 billion population.
The Cork TD hopes to make progress in getting access to the market for Irish beef, as well as promote seafood and dairy products.
“China has a strong demand for imports of quality food, given the size of its population and concerns over food security and safety and Ireland is strategically placed to be a key supplier of quality meats, dairy products, beverages, seafood and other products and services to China/Hong Kong,” Coveney said.
In the first six months of the year, Ireland has exported €405 million in dairy, meats, beverages, seafood and hides and skins to China.
That marks a €105 million jump on last year’s figure, a leap that the Minister has described as “tremendous”.
Irish beef products have been banned in China since the BSE outbreak in 2000. Progress has been made with talks over the past two years, and further steps are expected this week.
“We have made good progress in that time and I will again be seeking substantive progress the issue in my meetings with Chinese political counterparts next week,” Coveney said in a statement.
“Securing access for Irish lamb will also take a major step forward next week when I will be formally submitting a completed technical dossier for consideration by the Chinese authorities which is the key first step in securing access. I will also be pursuing access for poultry products and asking the Chinese authorities to give consideration to progressing this dossier.”
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London and Paris are just as complicit keeping Putin in power. They should freeze these billionaire oligarchs bank accounts and deport them and their faimilies back to Russia. English football needs to get their money from less dubious sources, or every football fan has a hand in keeping navalny in prison
@Clurichaun: absolutely…… But its Convenient to look the other way. The Russians have used nuclear weapon and biological weapon in the UK. But with brexit they will want Russian money. So the decent Russians are on their own.
@Clurichaun: Did you see the beating the French police were giving protesters yesterday? People on the ground were being birched with big sticks, it’s difficult to be critical when police in Paris & Catalonia are doing exactly the same.
@Joe Thorpe: hardly the same thing. The people of Russia want freedom from generations of corruption and political assassinations. The geniuses in France won’t follow basic public health advice while thousands die in hospitals
@Joe Thorpe: Well that’s yellow vest nut jobs. We have then here too G.O.D I’d buy the French police a beer if what you said is true.
If this happened in the USA the condemnation and screams would be heard from across the Atlantic. I always find it amazing how the Russians and Chinese generally get a free pass from The Western Media. Very strange.
@Crispy Brown: nail on the head mate, why no putin hatred here in Ireland or condemnation, irish people are so manipulated in their thoughts by the mainstream media its hilarious, no putin bashers no?, most Irish people probably don’t even know who he is, just thousands of people on here for months saying how much better off the world is now without Donald trump, yer a joke,
@Crispy Brown: day do not speakit de English
@Hugo Bugo: got one thing right BETTER OFF WITHOUT THE TWITTERING TWIT
One cold-war era trained Heavy, and his favourite acquired sidemen, will be incapable of halting the march of a nation towards true democracy and freedom.
And Navalny is the Leader to see this through, given his past independence from outdated and corrupt Sovereign Governance machine ruling that eleven time-zoned Country for over three decades.
English Electorate, please observe closely and learn for fear of slippage into similar undemocratic ways by your political masters.
@Rory J Leonard: maybe you should check Navalny’s track record before you start putting any hopes in him. Another ‘pro democracy’ merchant with questionable values to say the least. I am not a supporter of Putin either
@alan: track record? Post. But not from Pro kremlin government controlled media
Like him or hate him Russia needs a strong leader like Putin. If Russia was to fall into the hands of anarchists there be dire consequences for the rest of the world.
@Michael Maher: or into US stooges like Yeltsin. A man who brought the country to its knees.
@Eugene Norman: Correct the man was a drunk.
@Eugene Norman: The blame for Putin lies squarely on US shoulders and the West in general. They put Yeltsin in power and enabled oligarchs by privatising public companies so they could do easier business deals. They went back on their promise to Gorbachev not to bring any more countries into Nato in return for a peaceful German reunification. Gorbachev knew exactly how Nato expansion into satellite countries would be used to fuel paranoia in Russia and leverage political opportunities.They even helped write the Russian constitution to suit their own ends. They have destroyed Ukraine through interfering in its economic and political affairs and afforded Putin the opportunity to annex Crimea without breaking sweat. The West has no moral high ground when it comes to Putin. They are reaping what they sowed.
@Michael Maher: It has fallen into the hands of a KGB agent (Putin) and a want to be dictator (Trump)
Apparently no one believed them when they said a Russian oligarch owned the palace with a no fly zone and 2km avoidance zone on the black sea.
Before you jump to conclusions make sure you look into navalny, a far right nationalist should not be supported blindly because you have been told putin is bad doesn’t mean anti-putin is better
Bring back the red flag
have your say