'); One year on, China still has a ban on Irish beef - but for Irish farmers, a bigger problem may be coming down the tracks Beef farmers are not unduly worried about the China ban right now – but it could be a different story if the UK does a trade deal with Australia. By TheJournal.ie team Friday 4 Jun 2021, 6:15 AM 1 hour ago 5,075 Views 0 Comments IT IS JUST over a year since Irish beef exports to China were suspended following the discovery of an atypical BSE case in the national herd. The temporary suspension in May 2020 was a major setback for the beef sector, given the time and energy that was invested over the previous decade in securing access to the Chinese market.