Minister Hackett concludes trade mission to Thailand and Vietnam with significant steps forward in market access for beef

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett today concluded Ireland's agri-food trade mission to Thailand and Vietnam. A key priority for this trade mission was to progress co-operation 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.

Reflecting on her meeting with Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Co-operation Mr. 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 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."

Following her meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr. 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 concluded by noting 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.

Minister Hackett also noted the significant positive engagement with Vietnam's Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development in recent years and in particular highlighted the work of Sustainable Food Systems Ireland through the Ireland-Vietnam Agri-Food Partnership is a five year programme aims to provide Irish expertise in support of Vietnam's objective of making its own food system more sustainable.

ENDS

Notes for editors:

Thailand AgriFood Exports:

Total agri-food exports to Thailand in 2023 amounted to €62.3 million or 0.3% of all Irish agri-food exports by value and amounting to 20,900 tonnes. This represents a 16% increase in value on 2022, and 11.5% in volume. Irish agri-food exports to Thailand were valued at €42.9 million in 2014, showing a 45.3% increase in export value over the decade.

Dairy produce was Ireland's largest category of agri-food export to Thailand, worth €58 million and representing 93% of total exports to Thailand. Food preparations were the most valuable product within this at €46 million. Animal Foodstuffs and Beverages were second and third largest exports each, valued at €1.8 million and €1.3 million respectively.

Thailand, with a population of 70 million people, has enjoyed strong GDP growth over the last 10 years. Consumption of protein stands at 73kg per capita with seafood (49%), pigmeat (24%) and poultry (23%) the most popular proteins, followed by beef at 4%.

Ireland-Vietnam Agri-food Partnership.

The 5-year Ireland-Vietnam Agrifood Partnership (IVAP, 2023-2027) is funded by the Irish Embassy in Vietnam and managed and implemented by Sustainable Food Systems Ireland. IVAP aims to support Vietnam in transforming its food system through knowledge sharing and skills development on primary production, food safety, food systems transformation, innovation, quality, and competitiveness, leading to improved sustainability, climate resilience, nutrition, inclusive economic growth, and enhanced bilateral economic and development cooperation relationships.