Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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200. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his recent trade mission to the Far East; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52128/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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During the recent trade mission to Japan and South Korea I was accompanied by 40 representatives of the Irish food sector, as well as by experts from my Department, the CEO of Bord Bia and senior representatives from Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc.

This was a very opportune time to bring a delegation of Ireland’s food leaders to this part of the world, given that the EU has concluded a Free Trade Agreement with South Korea as well as agreeing an Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan earlier this year. Japan and South Korea are markets of high potential for beef, pigmeat and sheepmeat exports, and so it is important that we raise the profile of Irish agrifood enterprises that already have access to these markets, and make progress in negotiating access for others. To do this effectively, we need to spend time 'on the ground', developing positive relationships with Japanese and South Korean buyers, regulators and political counterparts. 

In Japan I met the Minister for Health Labour and Welfare, Minister Katsunobu Kato. This was a useful opportunity to hold high level discussions with a Senior Minister in Japan, with responsibilities in the areas of food safety, standards and certification. I took the opportunity to request that the 30-month age limit on our beef exports be raised and also undertook to begin the process of gaining market access for Irish sheepmeat to Japan. I also met with the State Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr Yousuke Isozaki. This was another valuable opportunity to raise awareness of Ireland as a strategic partner from a food perspective, and a similar range of issues was discussed. Indeed, Minister Isozaki, who also holds responsibility for the equine sector, was interested to hear about Ireland’s success as a world leader in the thoroughbred horse industry. Parallel to this meeting Department officials held technical discussions with their Japanese counterparts.  

The Japanese element of the mission was extremely useful in gaining a better understanding of Japan's priorities in the agrifood area, while also raising awareness of Ireland as a potential strategic partner.  Japan has one of the most highly respected food safety systems in the world, and it was important to get the opportunity to let potential Japanese customers know that our own systems are of a similarly high standard. The Ministries of Agriculture and Health both responded very positively to the issues raised, and it is clear that Japan is open to further cooperation and collaboration with Ireland. I also hosted a number of promotional events such as the Bord Bia Origin Green Dairy Seminar, which facilitated further engagement between Irish food companies and potential customers.  

The Korean leg of the trade mission began with a meeting with the South Korean Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Kim Yung-Rok. During the meeting I emphasised the very high priority that Ireland accords to achieving beef market access to Korea, and the importance of further advancing the process, following on from recent inspection visits. A follow-up meeting has been arranged between Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine officials and Minister Kim's technical experts. 

In South Korea, I had the pleasure of opening an Origin Green Dairy seminar and also addressing ‘The Flavour of Ireland’ networking reception which showcased the best of Irish food and drink to an audience of South Korean buyers and media.  

I concluded the trade mission with a meeting with South Korea’s Minister for Food and Drug Safety, Minister Ryu. During the meeting it was useful to receive a direct appraisal from the Minister on the progress of our application for market access for Irish beef. While a number of stages remain to be cleared in the multi-stage process before market access can be secured, Minister Ryu indicated that it may be possible to move to the next phase of the process before the end of the year. I also took the opportunity to communicate to the Minister our intention to initiate applications for poultry and sheepmeat access.

Overall, the 5-day mission was very positive for Irish agrifood ambitions in the region. I met four Senior Ministers in two major economies, engaged with five multi-billion euro companies, and attended thirteen separate promotional events attended by over 400 Japanese and Korean buyers. More importantly, the travelling delegation from the agrifood industry considered the mission a success in terms of helping their efforts to build links in these markets.

I believe that Trade missions like these play a crucial role in raising the profile of Ireland. They help to build the kind of political, official and commercial relationships that can make a real difference to Irish food and drink exporters, which is, of course, critically important against the background of the challenges presented by Brexit.