Minister Michael Creed and Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy are visiting three of Ireland’s top food and drinks export markets.

The Netherlands, Germany and the UK account for almost half of our food and drink exports and are worth over €6bn annually to Ireland.

The duo have been meeting with C-suite representatives who form several of the markets’ largest retailers and include wholesalers and processors.

They hope to develop relationships with industry leaders. The trade mission is part of the overall FoodWise 2025 strategy.

“C-suite leaders in major global retailers in each of the markets we’ve visited are already aware of Ireland’s world-class agrifood credentials. These meetings are about developing key routes to shelf in strategically critical EU markets for Irish food and drinks suppliers,” Minister Creed said.

In the UK, the delegation will meet Sainsbury’s and Tesco, which represent two of the 'big four' retailers.

Up to 50% of the beef Ireland produces is sold in the UK.

Germany

Germany is Ireland’s largest market globally for food and drink exports and Kerrygold is the number one butter brand in the country.

The value of beef exports to the country have increased by 50% in the last five years alone.

The Netherlands is Ireland’s third-largest export market for food and drink and the group is meeting with the executive director of buying and merchandising at Jumbo Supermarkten, which has 650 stores globally and employs up to 80,000 people.

“These trade missions form a core element of our strategic response to Brexit challenges. Outside the UK, we have targeted a number of strategically important markets for development and growth. In the cases of both the Netherlands and Germany, we are targeting €1bn in exports each by 2025,” McCarthy said.

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