Potential of shellfish must be exploited to full

Ireland, shellfish, China. These three words contain an enormous economic opportunity and one that taps into a natural, quota- free resource around our coasts. It must be exploited to the full. Last week, it was announced that an 80-tonne order for shellfish had been secured from China by a West Cork company Glenmar Shellfish.

That, on its own, is a huge move forward but only scratches the surface. In 2012 seafood exports to China were just €10m but had grown by double digit percentages over 2011. In 2013 this business has already clocked up almost €10m in sales in the first half of the year.

The reasons are simple. The Chinese consume 26kg of seafood annually. By 2020 that is forecast to hit 36kg. Based on Chinese consumption, if Ireland could secure 1% of that market, it would equate to 500,000 tonnes of product.