Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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483. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the schemes being developed to help create new markets for Irish food exports in the wake of Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7169/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Since the UK referendum to leave the European Union, my Department has placed great emphasis on enhancing its own capacity and that of Bord Bia’s in the area of market diversification and new market access. In all I have provided an additional €14.5 million to Bord Bia since then.

This funding is intended to support food and drink companies facing Brexit challenges through market diversification measures, including the provision of access to local expertise in international markets, the promotion of quality assured products in UK and Continental markets and funding for Marketplace Ireland 2018. It will also support market insight research and projects to be carried out by the Bord Bia Thinking House. My Department has also provided the funding for Bord Bia's Brexit barometer, which provide food companies with the opportunity to assess their own readiness for Brexit.

My Department is also working with the Department of An Taoiseach and other Government Departments on the expansion of the State’s Global footprint, in order to ensure that the future development of the Irish agri-food sector is incorporated into this strategy.

In addition, and against the background of Brexit, I asked Bord Bia to conduct a market prioritisation exercise in order to identify opportunities in new and more mature markets. The initial results of this exercise, which were published in early December 2017, have already provided valuable market intelligence both for industry operators and policy makers, and I look forward to further exciting developments as the next stages of this project unfold.

The pursuit and development of new markets for Irish agri-food exports is of course an ongoing and central component of the strategic development of the agri-food sector, as evidenced by its placement right at the centre of Food Wise 2025, the industry’s strategy for development over the coming decade. Indeed, this is all the more relevant after the UK’s decision to leave the EU, which presents significant new challenges for the agri-food sector in particular.

Food Wise 2025 outlines the huge potential for growth in agri-food exports to new and emerging markets, including in Asia, Africa and the Gulf region.

In keeping with the priorities outlined in Food Wise 2025 I led a series of very successful Trade Missions during in 2017, to the Gulf States, the US, Mexico, Japan and South Korea.

My Department is currently making arrangements with Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland for a trade mission at the end of the February to the US and Canada. Again this will include participants from across the agri-food sector and will feature extensive trade contacts as well as relevant political engagements. Both of these markets had been identified as offering significant potential to the Irish agri-food sector.

My Department and its agencies will continue to work with industry in a dynamic way as the negotiations on Brexit progress.