Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Since the counting of the votes in the United Kingdom and the announcement that the UK was leaving, my Department has been proactive. Bord Bia and BIM have had engagement with their stakeholders and the companies they work with that export to the UK. The feedback of the high level implementation group on Food Wise 2025 has been interesting. The group includes agencies such as BIM, Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia etc. Some feedback included concern emerging from their client companies. There was also feedback from their producers to the effect that price was an issue but also that quality and sustainability of the product was recognised as a significant factor in our favour.

While we need to be vigilant in respect of all of these matters, particularly in respect of currency fluctuations, we need to be careful not to panic people in this situation as well. I appreciate that certain sectors are significantly exposed and we are working with these to try to manage the volatility in currency exchange rates. However, there are opportunities on the other side in dollar-denominated markets. They offer significant export opportunities in other areas that we are trying to exploit in terms of new market opportunities.

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