Ministers Heydon and Grealish welcome opening of Vietnamese market for Irish beef exports
- Foilsithe:
- An t-eolas is déanaí:
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, and Minister of State with responsibility for Food Promotion and New Markets, Noel Grealish TD, today announced the opening of the Vietnamese market to beef exports from Ireland.
Announcing the news, Minister Heydon said:
“Vietnam was designated as a priority market for access for Irish beef and my Department has been very active in pursuit of this objective. Ongoing engagement at political, diplomatic and official levels have helped to advance the case for Irish beef. I visited Vietnam in September 2022 and met with the Agriculture Minister, while I hosted the Vice Minister the following year. I used these opportunities to advance the case for Irish beef to achieve access to this important market.”
The Minister added:
“Vietnam is the world’s 14th most populous country and its economy has experienced rapid growth and development in recent years. Rising disposable income, urbanisation and a shift toward eating out are leading to increased demand for beef. Industry selected Vietnam as one of its priorities for beef access. It is a market with a population of over 100 million people and a growing middle class, presenting significant opportunities for Irish Agri-food exporters. For beef, the door has now been opened and there is a real opportunity for the industry to build on.”
Welcoming the announcement, Minister Grealish commented that:
“This decision represents an endorsement by the Vietnamese Administration of Ireland’s high food safety standards. I was delighted to visit Vietnam for St Patrick’s Day where I met with the Vice Minister of Agriculture who advised me of the positive outcome of last year’s audit visit to Ireland. Since then, officials in both countries have worked together to agree the conditions under which trade can take place, culminating in this very positive outcome.
“This ongoing work is one of the key pillars of the Food Vision 2030 strategy and makes a strong contribution to the Government’s Action Plan on Market Diversification. The expansion of markets for Irish beef is crucial for the further development of our beef sector. Vietnam brings the number of markets for Irish beef to over 70 and we are actively working on others. Every new international market increases the economic sustainability of our beef sector and positively impacts on family farms and employment in rural Ireland adding value sustainably into the future.”
Minister Grealish added:
“This announcement is the culmination of a lengthy process and complements the existing access Ireland has for pigmeat. I hope the delivery of quality Irish beef opens the door for industry as we seek to build and enhance access to this very important market.”
Also commenting, Bord Bia CEO Jim O’Toole, said:
“I am delighted that Irish beef has secured market access to Vietnam, which has been a priority market for access. This is an important step that underlines the importance of continuing to open markets and develop new opportunities for Irish food and drink exports. Vietnam represents a large and promising market, and our understanding of its potential will be further strengthened by a new Bord Bia market insight report, due for publication in the first quarter of the year.”
Concluding, Minister Heydon noted the collaborative effort of all involved, including the Irish Embassy in Hanoi, Department officials, who together led this effort, along with Bord Bia, the European Commission, as well as the food industry and farmers.
“It has taken a huge effort by team Ireland, over several years, to get beef market access to Vietnam across the line, and Minister Grealish and I thank everyone who has contributed to those efforts. It is great to see our hard work now bearing fruit,”
Minister Heydon said.
Notes
Categories of Beef Approved
Beef and beef products refers to beef, minced meat, meat preparations, heart, liver, kidney and cooked beef products.
General information:
- Vietnam, a country of over 100 million people, is one of the fastest-growing economies in South-East Asia, averaging 6% annually over the past 15 years.
- Rising incomes and a growing middle class are driving demand for higher-quality sources of nutrition.
- With limited domestic production and food service expansion, beef is seen as a premium protein.
- With market access for Irish beef now secured, Bord Bia is commissioning market insight research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Vietnamese market.
- The research findings will be used to inform Bord Bia’s beef clients of opportunities and potential routes into the beef sector in Vietnam.