The strong growth in Irish food and drink exports, which saw values increase by 11% in 2010, is continuing in 2011 with exports for the January to May period estimated to have increased by €400 million, or 13%, to total €3.44 billion. The new figures were released today at Bord Bia's "Pathways for Growth Food & Drink Summit", which took place at the UCD Smurfit School, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
According to Bord Bia, the prospects for the remainder of 2011 remain positive as strong global demand for dairy and meat products, combined with the first signs of increased consumer food prices as the global economy returns to growth, create a positive backdrop for Irish exports. The value of Irish food and drink exports for 2011 is set to grow by more than €600 million for the second consecutive year.
Opening the summit An Taoiseach Mr. Enda Kenny TD, emphasised the important role of the Irish food industry on our road to recovery. "Ireland's success depends on our ability to develop and sustainably grow in areas where we have real and tangible competitive advantages. The food industry is one such area. By working together we will build on our strengths and develop a reputation for Ireland that is worthy of our outputs."
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr. Simon Coveney TD who also addressed the summit welcomed the continued growth in exports and said the agri-food sector can be a major good news story for the Irish economy in terms of job creation and economic stimulus. "This Government is committed to meeting the ambitious targets of increasing food output by a third and food value by 40% by 2020. I am determined to be a political champion to drive growth, expansion and ambitious thinking despite the financial and budgetary constraints facing the Government. Over the past decade the agri-food sector has performed well but over the next decade it has extraordinary potential for growth. Agri-food is the new smart economy."
Keynote speakers at the Bord Bia Summit included Mary Shelman, Director Agribusiness Program, Harvard Business School and John Quelch, Distinguished Professor of International Management, Vice President and Dean, CEIBS. The event attracted over 150 representatives from Ireland's food and drink, including the industry's leading CEOs.
Progress Reported on Pathways for Growth
Mary Shelman, co-author of the Pathways for Growth report launched in May 2010, said "it is clear change is underway in the Irish agri-food sector. A unified vision is emerging of the country as a leading producer of high quality, natural safe food and steps are in place to get there."
According to Aidan Cotter, Chief Executive, Bord Bia "there is common consensus that the food and drink industry, through the implementation of the Pathways for Growth and Food Harvest 2020 reports, is on the right track to capitalise on its enormous potential in the decade ahead. Within Bord Bia, the five-year programme is now well underway and I am delighted to have significant progress to report in all five areas: branding; education; co-opetition; innovation; and entrepreneurship."
Making Sustainability a 'National Mission'
Ireland's food and drink industry needs to embrace sustainability as if it were a national mission. This was the conclusion of an international research study undertaken by Bord Bia, designed to identify a new brand positioning for Irish food and drink as the industry seeks to add value and expand its exports by 50 percent in the current decade.
The study, which extended across the US, Europe and Asia, was based on qualitative research among consumers, trade buyers and opinion formers, and is a key input to a Bord Bia initiative to build a credible and distinctive brand reputation and identity for Irish food and drink.
The research confirms the overwhelming image of Ireland as one of a nation of "friendly, warm and welcoming people, a land of green fields, an abundance bestowed by nature, and untainted by the pollution typically associated with mass production".
Although the study was conducted in the early months of 2011, when Ireland's economic difficulties were making headlines across the world, the research revealed no negative impact on the perceptions of Ireland or the Irish people, with respondents also tending to strongly differentiate a people from its institutions.
"Green must continue to be the card we play, but when many countries play the same card, we need to generate a uniqueness that makes ours a trump card. Sustainability brings being green and natural to another level, a level that is highly relevant to consumers and buyers in our ever changing world. Demonstrating our sustainability credentials is a fundamental part of the promise that is Brand Ireland for food and drink" added Mr. Cotter.
From this month, the environmental performance of all 32,000 farms participating in Bord Bia's Beef Quality Assurance Scheme are being tracked on an ongoing basis by carrying out a sustainability survey on each farm at the time of audit, with 500 such farms being audited each week.
"This national roll out follows Bord Bia accreditation from the Carbon Trust for our beef carbon footprint calculation model, which we developed in conjunction with Teagasc, whose expertise is key to supporting the sustainability agenda. It is the first scheme of its type in the world to incorporate an objective assessment of the carbon footprint."
Bord Bia is also in discussion with potential partners in the dairy, poultry and grain sectors to explore how the programme can be extended further across primary agriculture. Glanbia's Sustainability Programme announced this week marks an important step forward in promoting the environmental agenda critical to Ireland's brand reputation in the food and drink sector. As a large number of Glanbia suppliers are also members of its Beef Quality Assurance Scheme, Bord Bia's involvement in the programme is a perfect fit to enable the development of an accredited dairy carbon footprint calculation model, similar to the beef model, that will be available for subsequent roll-out across the entire dairy sector.