Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Pippa Hackett has begun an agri-food trade mission to the US from today (Sunday, March 24) in collaboration with Bord Bia and Irish food and beverage exporters.
The trade mission will run until Wednesday (March 27) and will see Minister Hackett hold engagements in the cities of Austin, Houston and Seattle.
The department said that the purpose of the visit is to consolidate, enhance and strengthen Irish agri-food exports to the United States, particularly, on this occasion, to states outside of Ireland’s historic and cultural centres of influence.
The cities of Austin and Houston are both in Texas, while Seattle is the largest city in the state of Washington (not to be confused with Washington D.C.).
The United States is a key market for Irish agri-food and drink exports, which were worth €1.6 billion in 2023. The main categories were beverages, at €690 million, and dairy at €684 million.
During the four-day itinerary, Minister Hackett will meet with leading US retail, foodservice and distributor businesses who are customers of Irish food and drink.
This will involve promotion of Irish dairy, meat, prepared consumer foods and beverages and there will also be the opportunity to highlight the sustainability of Irish food exports and the continued growth of the Irish organic sector.
The minister will also attend a ‘Spirit of Ireland’ event hosted by Bord Bia in partnership with the Irish drinks industry. Spirit of Ireland is an event focused on building awareness of Irish spirits within the US alcohol trade industry.
This event, taking place in Austin, is expected to attract up to 100 alcohol buyers and representatives from 18 Irish spirit brands.
“This trade mission is a great opportunity to develop new trading relationships in areas of the US that might not be traditionally identified by Irish exporters. The size and scale of the market place in the United States represents a significant opportunity for our high quality food and drink exporters,” Minister Hackett said.
She added: “Our focus will be on building new relationships, working to widen market access as well as strengthening our existing links with the US, which is one of our largest trading partners.”
Bord Bia CEO Jim O’Toole said that “Irish food and drink exports to the US have seen exceptional growth in recent years, with last year’s total exports representing a 26% increase in value since 2019″.
“Throughout the month of March, Bord Bia has organised a number of US market-focused events including a US insights day for Irish exporters, a seafood market study visit to Boston, and participation at the Annual Meat Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.”
“These events, and this week’s ministerial-led trade mission, will further help bolster the work of Bord Bia’s global business development and North American teams in this highly valuable market,” O’Toole added.