A key priority for this trade mission was to progress cooperation on trade and market access in meetings with the Minister of Agriculture and Co-operation in Thailand and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Vietnam.
Veterinary health certificate
Reflecting on her meeting with Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Co-operation, Itthi Sirilatthayayakorn in Thailand, Minister Hackett stated: “I am delighted to confirm, following my meeting with Minister Itthi, that we have made very significant progress on securing market access for Irish beef to Thailand, through the agreement of a veterinary health certificate. This paves the way for officials on both sides to finalise the remaining technical steps as soon as possible, and ultimately for Irish beef to enter the market in the near future. With a population of over 70 million and a significant number of food service establishments with a strong demand for quality, sustainable beef, the Thai market presents an excellent opportunity for Irish farmers, who are known for their commitment to quality and sustainability.”
Bord Bia
Bord Bia chief executive, Jim O’Toole said: “We have had a very successful trip to Thailand with a strong focus on dairy and meat, which included the successful launch of an EU dairy campaign. At this event we targeted Thai dairy importers and manufacturers, demonstrating Ireland’s ability to respond to consumer demands for safely produced, high-quality dairy produce. Thailand is a country that is not self-sufficient in producing dairy and values Ireland’s rigorous quality assurance programmes under Origin Green to produce world-class food and drink. We have used this time in Bangkok to enhance our understanding of the market with a view to furthering commercial opportunities for Irish exporters in the region.”
Vietnam
Following her meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Le Minh Hoan in Vietnam, Minister Hackett commented: “Meeting Minister Hoan so soon after his visit last week to Ireland with President To Lam, was an excellent opportunity to further the existing co-operation between our respective Departments. I thanked Minister Hoan for the recent agreement of a veterinary health certificate allowing the export of pet food to Vietnam. I also welcomed the fact that a Vietnamese audit team visited Ireland this past week to audit our systems of beef controls as part of our application for access for Irish beef to the Vietnamese market. We made significant progress in relation to cooked pigmeat, and had a good discussion of the very valuable work Sustainable Food Systems Ireland is doing in Vietnam through the Ireland-Vietnam Agri-Food Partnership.”
Minister Hackett noted that the success of the trade mission and the opportunities to have significant discussions at a Government level in relation to market access in both countries. The trade mission also involved meetings with a number of Irish suppliers active in the region, as well as largescale Thai and Vietnamese distributors and foodservice and hospitality operators who are showing a strong interest in bringing Irish produce to their customers.