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Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Minister Simon Coveney and US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney today welcomed the US Secretary for Agriculture, Tom Vilsack to Ireland. They discussed the proposed trade and investment partnership agreement (TTIP) between the EU and the US. The Minister also raised the question of access for Irish meats to the US market. The Secretary was given a tour of a beef farm and a dairy farm in north Kildare where the Minister showcased the best in sustainable, carbon-efficient Irish livestock production.

Minister Coveney thanked the US Secretary for the moves currently underway to allow access for Irish beef in the US.

We look forward to the inspection visit at the end of the month and we hope it will not be long before Irish beef is on supermarket shelves in the US. We are not looking to take on US meat producers directly but we see the US as a potentially important and valuable niche market.