Coveney: Stakeholders must work together to develop Brand Ireland

IRELAND’s eventual national food logo will be green, but almost everything else about Brand Ireland will have to be collectively teased out by the industry’s stakeholders, according to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney.

Speaking at Bord Bia’s Pathways for Growth food and drink summit yesterday at the UCD Smurfit School, Dublin, Minister Coveney said he was very pleased that every sector in Irish food seemed determined to work together to build export growth.

Bord Bia reported that 2010’s annualised 11% jump in Irish food and drink exports is continuing in 2011, with January to May exports up €400m, or 13%, to total €3.44bn. Bord Bia is predicting growth of more than €600m for the second consecutive year.