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According to the annual report, ‘the pursuit and development of new markets for Irish agri-food exports is an ongoing and central component of Food Vision 2030’, and it identifies ministerial-led trade missions as a way to expand our agri-food export profile.
The three ministers in the DAFM – Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, Minister of State with responsibility for New Market Development, Martin Heydon, and Minister of State with responsibility for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett – led multiple trade missions to ‘priority markets’ in 2023. During these missions, they held key engagements with political, industry and customer representatives to progress the further development of these markets for Irish agri-food produce. 

Germany 

In February 2023, Minister Hackett led an organic trade mission to Germany in conjunction with Bord Bia to promote organic Irish food and drink. Political and official meetings were held in Berlin, followed by attendance in Nuremberg for the Biofach trade fair, the world’s largest organic trade fair, at which seven Irish companies exhibited. Biofach is part of a strong global network of organic trade fairs which also take place in the US, Brazil, China, India, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Japan. And, a key theme of the trade event is to promote how organics can become even more influential as a model for the future and a key driver of sustainable food production.

China – Hainan and Shanghai

In April 2023, China was the destination for the second trade mission, led by Minister Heydon, to promote Irish food and drink across a range of sectors including dairy, beef, pork, seafood and spirit drinks. This was the first in-person agri-food trade visit to China since 2019. The trade mission began in Hainan where Minister Heydon led Irish participation in the 2023 Hainan Expo, along with the Embassy of Ireland, Bord Bia, and a number of Irish food and drink companies. As a keynote speaker at the Expo, the minister highlighted the opportunities for trade between Ireland and China, focussing on the promotion of Ireland’s high quality and safe agri-food offering. He then travelled to Shanghai for a series of high-level engagements with Irish agri-food companies and their Chinese customers, facilitated by Bord Bia.

China – Beijing and Shanghai   

In May 2023, it was back to China, where Minister McConalogue led his first full trade mission. This included political meetings with his Chinese ministerial counterparts in Beijing where the discussions focused on various meat market access issues. These discussions continued later in the trade mission at a technical level between officials from both ministries. The minister, with Bord Bia, held engagements with leading Chinese customers regarding the promotion of Irish food while in Shanghai, and he led a range of activities focusing on promotion of Ireland’s beef, pigmeat, seafood and spirit drinks sectors. In this context, Minister McConalogue attended SIAL China, as well as top-level customer meetings on beef, and masterclasses showcasing Irish seafood and Irish whiskey. He was also the keynote speaker at Bord Bia’s EU Meat Promotion Seminar.

Nigeria and Senegal 

In September, Minister McConalogue engaged in a number of key events while in Lagos, Nigeria, as part of trade mission to West Africa. He underlined the Government’s commitment to enhancing both our economic and people-to-people relationships between Ireland and Nigeria. He attended a series of meetings organised by Bord Bia with representatives of leading Irish and Nigerian drinks, seafood and dairy companies. During these meetings, he engaged with them on the current trends and demands to better understand how Ireland’s high-quality, safe and sustainable agri-food sector can support these partners. Minister McConalogue also undertook engagements with local media to communicate Ireland’s message of trade and cooperation between the two countries. He hosted a trade reception for a wide range of Nigerian customers for Irish food and drink products and a number of their Irish suppliers. The Nigerian leg concluded with the minister hosting an Enterprise Ireland agri-innovation evening, and the launch of the Bord Bia Spirit of Ireland promotional campaign in West Africa.
The trade mission continued to Senegal and was led by senior officials from the DAFM. With Ireland’s new Embassy in Dakar, successful engagements were held with the Senegalese Ministries of Agriculture, Rural Development and Animal Husbandry and also the regional Directors of UN Agencies including the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). There was also several trade promotional engagements facilitated by Bord Bia including a large agri-food business networking event for Irish and Senegalese companies.

Whole of Government trade mission – Korea

In November 2023, Minister McConalogue participated in the inaugural whole of Government trade mission to Korea to promote the Irish food, beverages and agri-tech sectors. This trade mission, led by then Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and accompanied by several other Government ministers, is a new cross-government approach to strengthening ties and promoting trade for Ireland in important and growing markets. Minister McConalogue’s priority on this trade mission was to progress the beef market access application that had been pending for a number of years.

Malaysia and Philippines

In November 2023, Minister Heydon led a trade mission to Malaysia and the Philippines in cooperation with Bord Bia, Sustainable Food Systems Ireland (SFSI), Teagasc and Enterprise Ireland. In Malaysia, he held a number of high-level political and food-promotion meetings and events. This included a meeting with the Malaysian Minister of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) Mohamad Bin Sabu. Among the issues discussed, at both political and technical levels, was Ireland’s market access application for the export of Irish duck meat to Malaysia. They also discussed agri-food cooperation between both countries. It was agreed that Sustainable Food Systems Ireland (SFSI) and MAFS should examine potential areas of co-operation on relevant projects. The Minister also attended an Enterprise Ireland Agri Business Breakfast Briefing event in Kuala Lumpur. This event was aimed to further strengthen the relationship between participating Malaysian companies and Ireland through continued knowledge sharing and partnerships. In Manila, Minister Heydon held a meeting with H.E. Alfredo E. Pascual, Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry. It was noted that the Philippines is already a successful market for Irish agri-food exports; it is the largest overseas market for Irish beef outside of our fellow EU members states and the UK with a 2022 value of €50m. He was keynote speaker at a number of Bord Bia organised EU dairy and beef and pork seminars throughout the mission. These seminars were attended by prominent companies from both countries and attendees benefited from expert presentations from the DAFM, Teagasc, SFSI and Bord Bia on the safety and sustainability of Irish food production.