Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Independent)
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594. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide the total number of trade missions he or a Minister for State within his Department have been on since he became Minister; if he will provide the country for each of these missions; the names of each business who have operations here who accompanied him on each trade mission; the amount of additional business quantifiable in euro terms each business who accompanied him is doing with that country since the trade mission; if he will provide the total cost to his Department for each of these trade missions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49233/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have led five trade and investment missions since I became Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, to China and the US in 2012, and Switzerland, the Gulf States and the US in 2013. Companies travelled with me on two of these missions - to China and the Gulf States. A list of those companies is set out below.

In the case of China, we have opened the market for specific products and for specific companies which have been approved to export. I would not have, nor would it be appropriate to provide, information that might be considered as business confidential in terms of specific companies and their sales/exports. I can, however, indicate that in the case of China:

- Exports of Irish agri-food and related exports have grown in value from €167m in 2010 to €323m in 2012, an increase of 93%;

- Exports of dairy products have increased from €103m in 2010 to €182m in 2012, an increase of 77%, with exports of infant formula amounting to €146m in 2012 an increase of almost 80% since 2011;

- Pigmeat exports have increased from €8m in 2010 to €44m in 2012, an increase of 450%;

- Exports of seafood have grown from €5.7m in 2010 to €10m in 2012, a 75% increase;

- Exports of Hides and skins are valued at €40m in 2012.

In the first eight months of 2013, when compared with the same period in 2012, there has again been a significant increase in exports to China, rising from €213m to €281m, an increase of 32%, with dairy exports showing a substantial increase from €120m to €176m, an increase of 47% in this period. There have also been a number of joint ventures announced between Irish and Chinese companies.

In the case of the Gulf States, Ireland currently exports almost €200m into the region and I would hope that we will be able to double the value of our agri food exports by 2020.

Among the publically announced developments during the trade mission, were the following:

- A €20m investment by the Irish Dairy Board in a 75 % stake in a dairy company in Saudi Arabia which will result in substantial volumes of milk powders being imported from Ireland for the production of up to 20,000 tons of cheese, using advanced technology developed by Teagasc which will allow the production of cheese from powders;

- The opening of the Kerry Development and Application Centre in Dubai, serving the Middle East, North Africa Regions and Turkey (MENAT);

- €5m contract for Irish Company Biotector for water analysis;

- Establishment by Bord Bia of an office in the Gulf Region to assist companies exporting or wishing to export to the region.

As to the US and Switzerland, exports of agri-food to the US have increased from €406m in 2010 to €518m in 2012 while exports to Switzerland have increased from €29m to €38m in this period.

The costs in relation to each of these trade missions are being collated at present and I will forward that information to the Deputy as soon as possible.

PARTICIPANTS IN TRADE MISSION TO MIDDLE EAST - OCTOBER 2013

Company database for China visit