Food and drink exports to Europe set to grow half a billion euro in five years
Angela Kennedy, chairperson, speaking at what is the largest food and drink fair in the world, said the enlarged continental EU marketplace provides significant new opportunities for food and drink exporters.
Ireland’s exports to the continent this year are forecast to exceed €2.2 billion. The value of the European retail market stands at €800 billion.
“The challenge for the industry now is to build on this success and for the consumer foods sector in particular to extend its reach beyond the British market, where it has already established strong market positions,” she said.
Ms Kennedy said key to the exploitation of these markets will be the roll-out of tailored marketing programmes by Bord Bia to help assess new markets and identify opportunities.
Food Minister Brendan Smith said Ireland’s presence at the fair is an opportunity to showcase the industry’s capabilities and products to the largest selection of world buyers gathered in one place. The dairy industry is represented at the fair by the Irish Dairy Board. Dairy product exports account for almost 40% of the country’s total exports of some 390m to Germany.
The large presence of Ireland’s meat, primarily beef exporting companies at Anuga, which has been co-ordinated by Bord Bia, supports its €10 million pan-European promotion campaign to increase sales of Irish beef on the continent.
It involves on-pack promotions in over 8,000 stores across ten countries. These include Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Czech Republic and the strategically important home market.
Forty supermarket groups are participating in the promotion and at least 40 million people visit these stores each week.
The German promotion includes 21 of the group’s stores across Germany as well as selected Karstadt, Hertie and Migros outlets. The Kaufhof promotion features an on-pack offer of Irish beef branded aprons, point of sale materials and in-store beef tastings.
Mr Smith, who will be in Amsterdam today for an Irish beef promotion in the Netherlands, said that Ireland is well positioned to capitalise on the 3,000 tonnes of Irish beef that was exported to Germany in 2004 and to regain some of the market share that was lost in the 1980s and 1990s.
