Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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35. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which his Department and associated agencies have adapted to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic to develop new markets for Irish food and drink producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41513/20]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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How have the Department and its associated agencies adapted to the challenge of Covid-19 to try to continue to develop new markets for Irish food and drink producers?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Gaining third country market access and opening up trading opportunities throughout the world for Irish exports has long been integral to the Department’s strategic approach to the development of the agrifood sector. This has grown increasingly important as we deal with the challenges presented by both the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit. While trade missions will continue to play a key role here, our traditional in-person method of developing trade with customers is not currently feasible.

To that end, the Minister and I, in conjunction with Bord Bia, recently held a series of virtual trade missions with customers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. These interactive engagements spanned five dates in November and December and included Irish industry and existing and potential customers overseas. We have also engaged in a series of virtual meetings with key international customers from Germany, the UK, Japan, China, the United Arab Emirates and south-east Asia. In these uncertain times, meaningful and continued engagement with Ireland’s growing customer base throughout the world is more important than ever. This innovative approach of bringing trade missions online creates an opportunity to further deepen trading relationships between Ireland and key customers in these regions. These virtual events also remind our key customers that Ireland remains committed to them and is able to supply foods in which their consumers can have confidence.

The Government’s commitment to new market development was further illustrated by my appointment earlier this year as Minister of State with specific responsibility for this task. The Department has also placed four additional agriculture attachés in the Irish embassy network in recent years, in Berlin, Tokyo and Mexico city in 2019, and in Seoul, South Korea, in 2020. In addition, the Department's international trade activities are being reorganised and further developed to deal with the challenges of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. We are doing everything we can to be agile and responsive to the challenges that Covid is presenting. In the context of the challenges that Brexit poses, we are not letting our foot off the gas and are continuing to drive on with accessing and developing new markets. We are also ensuring that we grow the markets we have.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I congratulate the Minister of State on that work. Agrifood is a very significant part of our export economy and our national economy. It has developed and it is great to see the momentum. It is clear from the Department and from listening to the Minister's and the Minister of State's responses today how much emphasis there is for dairy and beef, which is appropriate, but I might also flag the innovation-led businesses that are not on that side, such as in dry goods and other products. I am thinking of early start-ups in my constituency such as Homespun Foods and others that are purely innovation led. They draw from global sources and really need the help of State agencies to access emerging markets in the same way as dairy and beef producers. There are extraordinary food producers of all different types in Ireland and we have an extraordinary reputation for the quality of the food we produce, which we do in a clever and sustainable way. Support to enable those small producers to access newer and larger markets, particularly as we face into these difficult weeks and the difficulty of next year, would be so welcome.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy makes a valid point. With any new start-up, whether innovative or otherwise, there are challenges of scale and of ramping up all of the competences within that company quickly enough for it to be able to put its best foot forward. From the political perspective, the Minister and I use our good offices to open those opportunities. Working closely with the State agencies, we try and open the door for businesses which have key market opportunities in these areas. We deal closely with the likes of Bord Bia in terms of the research it provides as to where the big opportunities are, but I am happy to engage with some of the smaller innovative companies in the Deputy's constituency to which she referred and with which she is familiar in order to hear their first-hand experience of challenges they might have and how we can work to help them adapt. From Bord Bia through to all the other State agencies and ourselves in the Department, we are there to open up those opportunities and to allow the businesses to put their best foot forward. I would be interested to hear about some of the challenges that the smaller companies have in trying to do that.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. That is so welcome. One of the challenges for small businesses is that they have been able to take some of their own steps where there has not been a language barrier but the United Kingdom leaving the European Union makes it much more difficult. Indeed, the agencies are very supportive. I suppose some of the smaller businesses feel that there is this emphasis on dairy and beef and it is just to make sure that we are still investing in that innovation-led food enterprises to give them the support that they need. I thank the Minister of State for the opportunity to link them with him. It is always great to hear practical examples from businesses on the ground in any walk of life and agrifood is no different. I really appreciate the Minister of State's support for those businesses. I thank him for his answer.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Department has a network of agricultural attachés throughout the embassy network. Through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the embassy network, we have increased significantly the footprint of Irish diplomats and supports all across the world. The Bord Bia team is phenomenal. In my short time in the Department and in this role, I have been impressed by the young dynamic talent we have all over the world in terms of opening those doors. Therefore, there should be no barrier to small innovative companies, which are looking for those niche markets and which are look for support in areas, because it is not only a matter of language.

The Deputy is correct to point to the fact that Brexit provides us with this opportunity when we become the only English-speaking nation in the EU but there are also cultural challenges. In different areas there are different cultural emphasis that are important for a company to be aware of for their customers and that is the type of insight that our agricultural attachés, our diplomatic team and agencies such as Bord Bia can provide. I am happy to link any small companies looking to break into new markets with those support services.