Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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452. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding Irish seafood exports to the United States of America and the current value of this industry to the Irish economy; and his plans for expanding the size of Ireland's market share in this industry. [33180/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The US is a growing market for Irish seafood exports, dominated by sales of fresh and smoked salmon and more recently processed shellfish. In 2012, the total value of exports was in the region of €4.3 million, representing significant growth from 2011, with some exporters more than doubling their exports during this period. Bord Bia is working on a range of initiatives to increase the penetration of Irish seafood in this market. It organised a market study visit to Boston in March of this year which gave Irish companies an opportunity for one to one meetings with 3 of the largest foodservice distributors in the US market.

Following on from this initiative, Bord Bia coordinated the showcasing of seafood product samples from Irish suppliers in Phoenix on 25 June. Bord Bia will coordinate an Irish Pavilion at the Boston Seafood Show to be held in March 2014. This show is North America’s largest seafood trade exposition featuring the leading buyers and decision makers from the retail, wholesale and foodservice channels. On 26 September, Bord Bia will be hosting a select group of some 300 international visitors, including from the US, for a one day International Conference entitled “Our Food, Our Future. Sustainability: The Bottom Line”. During the course of this event, a dedicated seafood itinerary will be organised for US buyers, with visits to seafood processing sites and fish farms.

Bord Bia supports export development into the US market through its Fellowship Programme which runs annually and provides seafood clients with access to a dedicated sales and marketing resource for a 10 month period based in the market. A range of seafood processors have benefitted from this particular programme over the last 4 years. Bord Bia, through its New York office, also works on a one to one basis with seafood clients asissting them with identifying potential importers and brokers, coordinating market itineraries and undertaking store audits.