Bord Bia has today (Wednesday, October 8), launched a dairy campaign in Thailand as part of the Irish government’s first ever agri-food trade mission to the country.

The Thailand leg of the European Dairy – Ireland, Working with Nature campaign was launched in Bangkok and is part of a wider three-year campaign targeting thousands of South East Asian and Japanese dairy buyers.  

The campaign's dairy seminar was launched by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Senator Pippa Hackett who is leading a trade mission to Thailand and Vietnam in cooperation with Bord Bia this week.

Minister Hackett said she is "very pleased" to see Ireland at the forefront of marketing campaigns aimed at building the profile of European dairy in Thailand and Vietnam, which are both priority markets for Irish food and drink exports. 

“Bord Bia was selected by the European Commission to promote European dairy from Ireland in Southeast Asia and Japan for a three-year period in recognition of the grass-fed and sustainable nature of Irish dairy production.

“There is growing demand in Thailand and Vietnam, and as a result of the €3.2 million campaign investment, Irish dairy exports are forecast to grow to nearly €60 million in South East Asia by 2025," Minister Hackett said.

In 2023, Irish exports to Asia were valued at an estimated €1.2 billion. Dairy accounted for over €839 million of this. In 2023, Irish dairy exports to Thailand totalled €55 million, with €19 million worth of dairy exported to Vietnam. 

Bord Bia’s senior manager of EU co-funded campaigns, Declan Fennell said the three-year campaign is the "perfect opportunity to showcase Ireland’s world-renowned dairy industry" to South East Asia customers. 

“We do this by communicating the tangible benefits of Ireland’s national sustainability programme, Origin Green, our grass-based farming systems and family-run farms," Fennell said.

Bord Bia’s Future of Dairy in South East Asia report notes that South East Asia will continue to rely on dairy imports in coming years and that domestic production levels will remain low. 

Bord Bia’s South East Asia manager, Lisa Phelan said Irish dairy exporters and Bord Bia have "long recognised" the importance of countries like Thailand and Vietnam as growth markets for sustainable dairy ingredients.

Results to date from the European Dairy – Ireland, Working with Nature campaign 2022 - 2024 include: 

The campaign has reached 10,000 dairy buyers across South East Asia and Japan; 
Over 600 professionals educated at 11 different dairy technical seminars across South East Asia and Japan.

Analytics of the impact of the campaign show that in 2023 Ireland was perceived as one of the top-three dairy exporting regions in Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines in terms of its sustainably-produced, high quality dairy offerings, Bord Bia said.  

In Thailand, results showed strong associations between Irish dairy and grass-fed, sustainable production, high quality and food safety standards as well as an increasing propensity to pay more for Irish dairy products.  

"We know from our market intelligence that there will be an increased demand for adult dairy nutrition in the region in the coming years, representing an opportunity for Irish dairy exporters to grow their operations in these markets.

"Through these campaigns, we can work together to strengthen the business relationships Irish dairy exporters have formed with stakeholders in these countries," Phelan said.