Ireland's £5 million pig meat export trade to the US has been disrupted because of the US ban on the import of a wide range of foods from the EU following the Belgian food scare.
An Bord Bia, the Food Board, said yesterday it expected that the ban on Irish pork would be lifted by the United States when it was made clear that there was no relationship between production here and in Belgium.
"Overall the impact has not been as negative as we expected, but we are carefully monitoring the situation and we have people on the ground around the globe spreading the word that we are not involved," said a Bord Bia spokeswoman.
She said she feared that the US ban had now become part of the threatened trade war between the US and the EU, but she hoped that Washington would retract its ban on all EU pork imports.
"The main problem is that the ban will displace 70,000 tonnes of EU pork which goes to the US from mainland Europe, and this could create problems for Europe's producers," she said.
However, it was learned yesterday that Irish beef suppliers had already benefited from the Belgian scare, and Irish beef exports were being increased.
Several suppliers to the Belgian market, including Dawn Meats, have been asked to increase their supplies as Belgian retailers are now seeking meat from outside.
A spokesman for the Irish Meat Association, Mr John Smith, said his organisation was also closely monitoring the situation.
"It is very difficult for the Belgians just now, and what has happened is not good for the food industry generally. However, it is still unclear what global impact this will all have on our exports," he said.
Reports that Japan had banned the import of meat and dairy products from the EU were incorrect, Bord Bia said yesterday. It is also attempting to find out the attitudes of some of the other Pacific Ring countries towards EU food imports.
Last Friday the Department of Agriculture and Food banned a range of imports from Belgium. It includes live cattle, pigs, poultry, fresh poultry meat, pork, beef, eggs and egg products, and milk products.
It said that very small quantities of animals and animal products had been imported here, and no animal compound feed, thought to be the cause of the dioxin contamination, had been imported into Ireland.
AFP adds: Three-quarters of Belgium's chicken producers were being permitted to put their products back on the market from midnight last night, the Belgian Prime Minister, Mr Jean-Luc Dehaene, said yesterday. The decision follows 2,456 breeders being cleared of contamination.
"The products from these breeders will be sold from midnight Tuesday because the European Commission has said that products from uncontaminated producers can be put back on the market," he said at a press conference.
Mr Dehaene said he hoped measures would be in place by today to allow uncontaminated Belgian pork and beef to go back on sale from tomorrow.