Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1820. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the strategy for expanding Irish seafood exports into Asian markets; and how smaller producers are supported to participate. [47168/25]

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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On behalf of my Department, Bord Bia supported by funds from the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) implement a range of marketing initiatives to help support Irish seafood exporters to further expand into Asian Markets. 

Annually Bord Bia builds an Ireland Pavilion at the China Fisheries Show which is the largest seafood trade show in Asia and the second largest globally. Exhibiting annually at this show allows Irish exporters to connect with new seafood customers across the region.

The leading Irish exporters within the sector exhibit on the Origin Green branded pavilion at this show and are supported by Bord Bia who help to attract key buyers to the Ireland Pavilion.

Similarly, Bord Bia also has a stand annually at the Tokyo Seafood Show which is the largest trade show in Japan. Similar supports are provided by Bord Bia to Irish clients who exhibit at this show and are largely made up of the suppliers from the Irish pelagic and shellfish sectors.

A core element of Bord Bia's marketing strategy across this region is engaging in a series of awareness building initiatives to educate the seafood trade about the quality, range, and sustainability credentials of seafood from Ireland. Annually B2B advertising campaigns are coordinated in Japan and China which focus on promoting Irish seafood in the main seafood trade publications to help build profile and foster loyalty to existing suppliers in their markets.

A number of seafood journalists and high-profile prospective customers are invited to visit Ireland on inward itineraries where they get to meet the Irish producers and exporters face to face to see first-hand how seafood from Ireland is fished and processed.

A suite of retail and foodservice promotions is coordinated throughout the year in key cities across the region to support existing Irish exports to these customer accounts, helping to educate the end consumer about the quality and range of Irish seafood. Bord Bia also runs a number of lead generation initiatives aimed at recruiting new seafood markets across Asia.

Any Irish producer looking for support to build business in Asia should contact the relevant Bord Bia office in the region. Offices are located in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Singapore. Support can also be sought from Bord Bia's head office specifically from the Seafood team based in Dublin who can help Irish exporters navigate the range of support services at their disposal. Additional services can include access to marketing grants for smaller producers as well as support for branding, innovation, and research services.