Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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234. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which the dairy sector continues to expand worldwide in terms of exports; the plans to enhance this sector in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38470/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I remain confident that the outlook for the Irish dairy industry and Irish dairy exports remains very positive. The dairy industry is one of our largest and most profitable sectors. Irish dairy exports exceeded the €6 billion euro mark for the second year in a row last year, making it the largest food and drink export category.

Last year, we exported over 1.6 million tonnes of dairy products to over 140 different countries around the globe. We ship over 85% of our dairy products to the EU and beyond. My Department continues to engage intensively with competent authorities overseas, our Embassy network, Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and industry, to ensure as many markets as possible are available for a broad and balanced range of dairy products.

Huge progress has been made in the last decade in expanding the reach of Irish agri-food exports to consumers worldwide.

Food Vision 2030 includes several actions to develop overseas market opportunities, and envisages a sustainable increase in the value of overall Irish agri-food exports to €21 billion by 2030, driven by increased value rather than volume.

For an export driven sector like dairy, Ministerial led trade missions to our priority markets are a key part of our market access and diversification strategy. These overseas missions allow me to meet key decision-makers on market access requests, to strengthen commercial relationships with industry customers, and to bolster Ireland’s reputation as a trusted supplier of high quality, safe and sustainable dairy products. I recently returned from a trade mission to China and the Republic of Korea, and another trade mission is planned for Vietnam and Thailand in the coming weeks.

Also essential to the development and maintenance of markets outside the EU is the technical work that frequently takes place behind the scenes. Technical negotiations with importing countries, including inward visits and inspection by their competent authorities, are typically a lengthy and multifaceted process.

Selling into international markets is challenging but developing and diversifying new markets, while maintaining existing markets continues to be a top priority for my Department, in cooperation with Bord Bia.