Written answers

Thursday, 21 October 2021

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Departmental Staff

Photo of Neale RichmondNeale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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15. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of officials from his Department on secondment to Irish embassies; the breakdown by country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51332/21]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government emphasises the diversification and development of new markets for the Irish agri-food sector.

The appointment of Minister of State Martin Heydon with special responsibilities including ‘New Market Development’ affirms our commitment to delivering on this undertaking.

The success of the Department's diplomatic representation abroad - in assisting in the retention, expansion and securing of access to markets - is directly related to the support and additional work carried out in the Department’s line divisions at home.

Seventeen Department officials are currently seconded to Irish Embassies abroad. These deployments include two Counsellors - in Brussels and London - as well as 14 attachés in diverse global locations, including our traditional trading partners across Europe and in the United States, and in evolving markets in locations such as China, Korea, Japan, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates.  These have become particularly important in recent years, since the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the EU.

The Department regularly reviews overseas assignments, to ensure that our presence abroad supports market access in key target locations and delivers on the expected benefits.

The role of agricultural attachés within the embassy network varies according to the assigned post, but is primarily focused on trade assistance and facilitation as part of the Department’s market development remit.

Securing and enhancing market access to countries outside the EU is usually a lengthy process involving much interaction between officials in the Department and their counterparts in competent authorities in importing countries.

The detailed technical work in negotiating market access involves completion of lengthy questionnaires on official controls, hosting inspection visits, conducting overseas trade missions and reaching agreement on export health certificates or protocols which dictate the conditions under which agri-food products are traded.

Liaison with Irish embassies abroad is critical to all those exchanges, and by initiating and developing relationships with competent authorities and other agencies in those countries, agricultural attachés support my Department’s access efforts in targeted markets. The target markets are decided in consultation with industry stakeholders to ensure that my Department’s work programme is aligned with exporters’ priorities. 

Experience in recent years has shown that such contacts are crucial to Ireland’s efforts to gain new market access and also to broaden and deepen existing levels of trade in both value and volume terms.

The recent signing of protocols with China to allow for the export of sheepmeat and breeding pigs and the opening of the Japanese market for the export of minced beef and beef burgers earlier this year are just two examples of the successes of these interactions.

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