Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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132. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his ongoing progress in regard to establishing new markets for the Irish food sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26657/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Agri-food exports to non-EU markets grew to a record €3.1 billion in 2014, an increase of 15% over 2013, with particularly strong growth in exports to Asia (+36%) and the Gulf States (+39%). Non-EU markets accounted for 28% of total Irish agri-food exports last year, with significant potential for further growth.

Since my appointment as Minister, I have led several successful trade missions to facilitate trade promotion and market access to markets outside the EU, including to the United States, China, the Gulf States and Algeria. These visits provided the numerous Irish companies who accompanied me with an opportunity to increase their profile in new markets and build upon existing trade relationships. My visits to China and the US were also instrumental in helping to re-open these valuable markets to Irish beef.

To date this year, I have:

- led a successful trade mission to the US in February to launch beef access to this very valuable market;

- welcomed Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Agriculture Minister Han Changfu on a farm visit in Mayo, which proved an invaluable opportunity to demonstrate the best of Irish farming to the Chinese Government and the Chinese media;

- hosted meetings with Ministers and high level delegations from several non-EU countries.

I am presently finalising plans to lead trade missions to the US and to Asia, including China, in the last quarter of 2015. I will also lead a trade mission to West Africa. This mission will offer Irish food companies an opportunity to showcase their produce to a large and emerging market outside of our more traditional destinations.