Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 December 2022
127. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department’s plan for trade missions for the remainder of 2022; his Department’s priority markets for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60833/22]
View answerThe promotion of Ireland's high-quality, safe, nutritious, and sustainably produced food remains a core objective of my Department and its agencies.
Trade Missions play an important role in our support for the Irish agri-food sector's ambition to grow both the value and volume of our exports to international markets. As a country which exports 90% of the food we produce, we must always seek to develop new as well as expand existing international markets.
In 2022, as we COVID-19 travel restrictions have eased, we have been able to restart in-person Ministerial trade missions.
Minister of State martin Heydon and I led a number of critical engagements in overseas markets, with Trade Missions to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, to the United States and Mexico, and to Japan, Singapore and Vietnam. Minister of State Pippa Hackett also led an organics Trade Mission to Germany in the summer.
These Missions have strengthened Government-to-Government relationships and have included a range of events promoting Ireland's high quality food offering, including through a series of top-level engagements with key Irish agri-food customers.
Last week I was in London, where I engaged with senior executives of some of the leading customers for Irish food in the UK - still our biggest market and one that we remain fully committed to despite the challenges that Brexit has presented.
Before the end of the year, Minister Heydon will travel to Paris for engagements with key officials on the French market.
This programme of international engagements underlines the Government's commitment to supporting the industry in achieving its development ambitions, which in turn is critical to supporting family farm incomes into the future.
The planning for our 2023 Trade Mission programme is well advanced. In spring, Minister Heydon and I will continue our intensified programme, with plans being finalised for a trade mission to Malaysia and the Philippines.
In the second half of the year the focus will be on west Africa.
The targeting of these destinations in 2023 reflects their status as priority growth markets for Irish agri-food exports, as identified in the comprehensive market prioritisation analysis undertaken by Bord Bia.
