Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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542. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an agricultural attaché will be allocated to the Irish embassies in Ottawa, New Delhi and Seoul; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28092/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department and its agencies have a considerable, and growing, global footprint which is primarily aimed at facilitating growth in our agri-food exports.

In response to the Government’s Global Ireland 2025 initiative, and in keeping with my Department’s efforts to help the agri-food sector to diversify its export markets, my Department is expanding its staffing in international locations over the period to 2025. In addition to establishing attaché posts in new locations, we are also in the process of recruiting local hires in particular locations where they can provide local knowledge and specialist expertise in supporting our market access and trade development work.

New attaché posts will be filled this year in Mexico City, Tokyo, and Berlin. It is also intended that an attaché post will be established in Seoul in 2020.

There are no immediate plans to establish posts in Ottawa or New Delhi. However, my Department maintains its international presence and activities under constant review, with a view to maximising their contribution to the development of the Irish agri-food sector.