Dublin, Ireland - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of cattle; reporter talking with Angus Wood, chairman of National Livestock Committee of Irish farmers' Association (IFA)
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Angus Wood, chairman, National Livestock Committee, Irish farmers' Association (IFA):
"China possesses great potential for a beef market. All the signals are positive out there in terms of increasing consumption of beef. There's a real desire for trying new menus and news tastes and experimenting with new products in China. So, we would believe that China would be an excellent market."
3. Various of cattle; cows grazing in field
4. Various of staff members in office
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Tara McCarthy, CEO, Bord Bia (partially overlaid with shot 6):
"The first part of all of the work we'll be doing is putting some context around Ireland and we'll be using Europe as the backdrop to that. But also our research is telling us that the Chinese consumers are also putting a premium on how the food is produced and that's about sustainability, it's about the mix of nature with security behind it."
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6. Reporter
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FILE: Shanghai, east China - Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Visitors, booths at exhibition
8. Various of chefs preparing beef dishes
9. Various of visitors, beef booth

Ireland has won the race to become the first European Union state to return to the Chinese market after a nearly two-decade-long ban on EU beef was lifted, with Irish beef expected to be on the market in China by mid-summer.

Both China and the U.S. banned imports of beef from the EU back in the year 2000 due to fears over the spread of BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease.

Irish beef farmers believe that being the first European nation to have access to the Chinese market could be worth a hundred million euros a year. Many are also intrigued and excited about the growth potential of China.

"China possesses great potential for a beef market. All the signals are positive out there in terms of increasing consumption of beef. There's a real desire for trying new menus and news tastes and experimenting with new products in China. So, we would believe that China would be an excellent market," said Angus Wood, chairman of the National Livestock Committee under the Irish farmers' Association (IFA).

Ireland's agricultural exports to China have increased roughly fivefold since 2010 and hit nearly a billion euros last year, according to Irish government figures.

Now six Irish beef-processing plants have been cleared for exports, with deals worth tens of millions of euros being signed, but work still has to be done to attract Chinese interest for Irish beef products.

Building Ireland as a brand inside China is a big part of the process and at the recent Shanghai food fair a number of Ireland's best beef and pork processors were on show.

The head of Bord Bia, the Irish food board, says it's now essential to convert access into real market opportunity.

"The first part of all of the work we'll be doing is putting some context around Ireland and we'll be using Europe as the backdrop to that. But also our research is telling us that the Chinese consumers are also putting a premium on how the food is produced and that's about sustainability, it's about the mix of nature with security behind it," said Tara McCarthy, the CEO of Bord Bia.