Bord Bia is this month hosting "influential" Asian buyers and foodservice customers in Ireland.

Irish food and farming "will take centre stage" as delegates travel from Vietnam, China, Singapore and Japan to Ireland. 

Bord Bia said the series of visits comes at a "significant time" for Ireland's agri-food sector as it continues to build opportunities in key Asian markets. 

From June 21-27, Bord Bia will host nine international media and nutrition industry stakeholders from Singapore, China and Vietnam as part of its EU co-funded dairy promotion programme. 

Dairy exports

Bord Bia said the visit is "particularly significant" as Ireland seeks to develop opportunities for dairy exports into Vietnam, a market of "growing strategic importance" for the Irish food industry.

Over the course of the week, delegates will visit processors, Teagasc Moorepark and University College Cork, gaining "first-hand insight into Ireland's grass-based production systems, sustainability credentials and our world-class research capabilities". 

The Vietnamese visit follows a visit last week by 25 dairy ingredient buyers from China, Vietnam and Singapore focused on building business in premium Asian markets. 

Organised by Bord Bia, the buyers visited dairy farms and processors across Ireland to gain a deeper understanding of the unique characteristics of Irish grass-fed dairy production, Origin Green and the Bord Bia Grass Fed Standard. 

Expand meat exports

Rounding out the month, a seven-member Japanese delegation with representation from one of the largest restaurant chains in Japan will visit Ireland from June 22-26.

The delegation will visit meat processing facilities across counties Cork, Waterford, Wexford and Cavan to explore opportunities for Irish beef and lamb in Japan. 

While some delegates already source Irish beef tongue, the visit is expected to explore a wider range of beef cuts while also identifying opportunities to expand Irish lamb exports.  

Market returns

Commenting on the programme of visits, Declan Fennell, senior manager of EU promotions at Bord Bia, said: "Inward visits are often one of the unseen but most valuable aspects of our work.

"While months of planning go into each programme, there is no substitute for experiencing Irish food and farming first-hand.

"At a time when market returns are under pressure, expanding into high-value international markets and creating new opportunities to add value to Irish produce are vital to supporting returns at farm level.

"Visits like these are critical to building long-term trade relationships that support the continued growth of Ireland's meat and dairy sectors."