David Kennedy, International Markets Manager, Bord Bia – Irish Food Board

This week The United States and Mexico became the 12th and 13th destinations, respectively, in the last 18 months for Bord Bia and Department of Agriculture trade missions.

Previous destinations for this activity to drive food exports have included Nigeria, Ghana, Iran, Vietnam, China, People’s Republic of Korea, Singapore, Morocco, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Given the diverse geographical, cultural and agricultural profile of these countries it is worth noting that the objectives around trade missions can vary widely also.

A trade mission will typically have sectoral priories; for example it could be dairy and live cattle to North Africa, beef and beverages to United States, pigmeat to Vietnam and Mexico, seafood to Korea or prepared consumer foods to the United Arab Emirates. What all these missions have in common however are key business objectives and outputs.

Below is a brief outline of three of the key drivers of this activity:

Market Access

For a company deciding to export to a new market it is not as simple as finding a buyer and figuring out the logistics around supply chain and payments. Quite often, and especially in relation to meat, a specific agreement between respective governments around acceptable production and quality standards must be in place before an official veterinary heath certificate is drafted. Without these certs shipments will not be accepted at ports of import. Dialogue to complete this can take many years but trade mission engagement has often proven to expedite the process. Market access for beef and pigmeat was discussed in Mexico this week as well as sheepmeat to the United States. Expanded access for beef was a highlight output on the visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this year and was top of the agenda in Vietnam, China and South Korea last September. Bord Bia work with industry to prioritise high potential markets for access and look to schedule activity around this.

Brand Ireland

It may come as a surprise to learn that awareness of Ireland as a country, never mind a source of high quality sustainable food, can be relatively low in far flung corners of the world. Bord Bia trade missions are Origin Green branded and often include a cornerstone business seminar bringing together both contributions from both local and travelling speakers. The presence of a Government Minister, accompanied by the CEO of a State Agency and a large travelling party of companies, will deliver press interviews, TV and other media that ensure that prospective buyers have Irish companies top of mind as potential suppliers. Ireland’s sustainable food industry story, of a country that exports 80% of all food it produces, has strong resonance in those countries with growing populations and a dependency on imported food to feed them.

Business

Driving business opportunities for Irish companies is the most important aspect of trade mission activity. This is achieved through a variety of means. In an emerging market it could be through simply expanding the company’s understanding of their potential buyer and consumer in order to shape their proposition for the market. Building relationships and establishing contacts is an eminent factor also. In Nigeria over 40 local dairy buyers, importers and other industry representatives were present and met with travelling Irish dairy representatives at a Bord Bia Origin Green seminar in Lagos. Given the complexity of this market this was a unique and valuable proposition.

In addition to these 3 headline objectives trade missions often provide an opportunity for product launches, private high level meetings with local buying groups or importers and endorsement of partnerships and joint ventures. Although the complexity of trade missions can make the business case for them challenging to quantify there is no doubt, given the appetite from Irish companies for this activity and the subsequent trading trends, that they do indeed deliver results.

For further information on trade missions please contact david.kennedy@bordbia.ie