The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, TD, last Friday concluded an agri-food trade mission to the Republic of Korea and Japan, saying that the Irish food sector was ‘thriving’ in the region, and expressing his confidence that it will ‘continue to grow in the months ahead’.
Exports to South Korea represented 0.2% of all Irish agri-food exports in 2024, amounting to €39 million. Dairy was the largest segment at €15 million, followed by pigmeat, at €7.4 million.
Meanwhile, Japan is the third-largest destination for Irish food outside of Europe, the US, and China.
There, exports were valued at €173 million last year. The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement has been in force since 2019.
Over time, 85% of EU agri-food exports (in tariff lines) will be allowed to enter Japan entirely duty-free.
Over the course of the six-day trade mission, led in collaboration with Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland, Minister Heydon met with Minister Koizumi, his counterpart in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, as well as Minister Niki in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Minister Heydon met with Minister Koizumi, his counterpart in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.
‘This trade mission has demonstrated the strong trading links Ireland has with the Republic of Korea and Japan’ said Minister Heydon.
‘It was encouraging to see firsthand the strong impact Irish agri-food exporters are making in the Korean and Japanese markets. For instance, this week I met with Negishi, a popular restaurant chain in Tokyo that specialises in beef tongue. APB, the Irish beef processing company, supply the 50-strong restaurant chain with beef tongue, and they also noted that Irish Hereford and Angus beef is particularly popular with consumers as well.’
‘Another strong success story of Irish agri-food companies operating in this region, is the Donegal-based Irish Premium Oysters, who export between 100 to 200 kilos of their product each month to Japan. They met with Bord Bia at the 2024 Japan International Seafood Expo to explore market access into Japan and within four months, their highly sought after product had entered the Japanese market.’
‘My Department is committed to building on the progress made in recent years in securing more market access for Irish agri-food produce in both the Republic of Korea and Japan and the wider Asia region. It is clear from this trade mission that the Irish agri-food sector is in an excellent position.’
