Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 December 2020
56. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the work his Department is undertaking to ensure diversification of food exports in order to reduce reliance of Irish exporters on the UK market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41538/20]
View answerDeveloping increased third country market access, and furthering trade opportunities abroad, are integral parts of my Department’s response to the challenges posed by Brexit. Indeed, it is worth noting that, while Ireland's agrifood exports have greatly increased in recent years - with total exports coming to €14.5 billion in 2019 - half of this growth has been accounted for by markets outside of Europe.
My Department has been very active in this regard, including through Trade Missions and through the leveraging of our network of agricultural attachés around the globe, which has been expanded recently to include a presence in Berlin, Tokyo, Mexico City and Seoul, South Korea.
Trade missions play a key role in market and trade advancement. In recent years, successful visits have taken place to Turkey, China, Japan, South Korea, Algeria and Egypt, among others. Improved market access has been achieved with these visits, including the abolition of the age restriction on beef exports to Japan, the approval of additional beef plants for export to China and the progression of beef access in South Korea. Destinations are selected strategically and in keeping with the Bord Bia market prioritisation exercise of December 2017.
Our traditional "in person" method of developing trade with customers is not feasible currently. To that end, Minister Heydon and I, in conjunction with Bord Bia, have held a series of Virtual Trade Missions during November and December with customers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. These interactive engagements included Irish industry and existing and potential customers overseas. There has also been a series of virtual meetings with key international customers from Germany, Japan, China, UAE and SE Asia.
I can assure the House that I and my Department will continue to avail of every opportunity to further market access and trade development.
