Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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315. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a food-related trade mission to Vietnam will occur during 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20459/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine currently does not intend undertaking a Ministerial Trade Mission to Vietnam in 2023.

However, the Deputy will be aware that my colleague, Martin Heydon T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for New Market Development, did lead a successful Trade Mission to Vietnam in September 2022. In conjunction with Bord Bia, engagements were held with key commercial clients, reflecting our ongoing commitment to supporting our agri-food sector's ambitions to grow its presence in this high-priority market.

Minister of State Heydon also pursued further progress on our market access agenda in his Government-to-Government engagement with the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), where it was agreed that Vietnam would send an inspection team to Ireland to progress our beef market access application.

It was also agreed that the existing Memorandum of Understanding between both countries should be renewed to further deepen co-operation in areas of mutual interest, particularly in the area of sustainable agriculture. This MOU was successfully renewed by Minster Heydon and MARD in Dublin earlier this year.

Minister Heydon also opened an Enterprise Ireland agri-tech conference in Hanoi. This event showcased Ireland's market-leading agri-equipment to stakeholders in the Vietnamese market.

The Minister also used the opportunity to engage with Sustainable Food Systems Ireland (SFSI), the Food and Agriculture Office of the United Nations and the Irish Embassy in Hanoi on the development of a multi-year programme by SFSI to support agriculture in Vietnam, particularly women in agriculture.

The visit has helped to deepen Ireland's relationships with key Government, commercial and NGO actors in Vietnam, while also enabling the pursuit of market development opportunities for Irish agri-food and agri-tech in this emerging market.