In this article, we talk to Germain Milet, who is the market specialist for meat and seafood in Bord Bia’s Paris office to discover more about Irish meat and seafood exports to France, Belgium, and Luxemburg.

I am the market specialist for meat and seafood in the Paris office. My job is to promote Irish meats, and seafood in France, Belgium and Luxemburg.

I come from a farming family, my father and all four grandparents were dairy farmers in Normandy, West France.

My dad was a member of the milk co-op Isigny Sainte-Mère producing the famous Normandy PDO cheeses (Camembert, Livarot, Pont Leveque) and infant formula.

I studied agriculture in France and the UK for a year before joining Idele, which is more or less the French Teagasc.

When I worked there as an economist, I was in regular contact with the Bord Bia France team.

I was always attracted to the dynamism of the Irish food and drink sector and the work of Bord Bia, so when I heard a position was open, I immediately applied.

Working on such diverse sectors as meat and seafood, there are no real typical days.

Every week I will usually have three or four days at my desk where I will try to engage as much as possible with Irish companies and their customers in market.

These conversations always start with a discussion on the market situation, especially the supply outlook and market insights before we move on to upcoming collaboration.

In terms of meat, we mostly sell beef and lamb to France. France is the second largest market globally for Irish beef and the largest market for Irish lamb.

Irish beef is very successful in the French foodservice sector due to its eating qualities, especially tenderness and marbling.

The carcass and cut size enable chefs to prepare thick steaks, ideal for serving rare – the preferred style of French diners. Equally important is the product consistency.

Overall, French consumption of lamb is declining, but French lamb production is declining faster due to long term flock erosion and recent bluetongue outbreaks. This creates opportunities for Irish lamb.

The most dynamic market segment is the trade of halal carcass that are in high demand.

Bord Bia supports all trade of lamb to Ireland with an emphasis on cuts over carcass to maximise value creation in Ireland.

France is a big producer and net exporter of dairy product (close to 50% of its production in milk equivalent).

The French are the biggest butter consumers in the world with individual consumption estimated at 8kg per person (about three times the amount consumed by the Irish).

Butter is consumed at the dinner table on bread obviously but also extensively in cooking and massively in pastry (French croissants!) and in biscuits.

As a result, France imported over 200,000t of butter in 2024, including 29,000t of Irish butter.

Despite this, if you go to a French supermarket, you will struggle to find any imported butter on shelves.

Most imported butter is used by the bakery and biscuit industry, with strong and rising demand due to the decline in French dairy production and the firm demand in these categories.

As a food marketeer, the biggest challenge in France is food nationalism. French consumers are very sensitive to the origin or their food and the farming sectors puts a lot of pressure on retailers.

To help exporters tackle this issue, our team works hard to build awareness of the Irish farming system and Irish product qualities among the French food industry audience.

Our goal is to provide buyers with as much knowledge about Irish beef and lamb as possible, so that they see Irish product as the best alternative to French.

A key part of our job is bringing French buyers and media to Ireland so that they can experience where the product they are buying comes from and learn how it is produced.

Through our Bord Bia Meat Academies, held in France, buyers can also learn more about Irish beef and appreciate its eating qualities.

Another challenge is the tension on the beef market: the French herd has declined by almost a million head since 2016, heavily affecting beef throughput.

This creates opportunities for imported beef obviously, but it also generates supply concerns for distributors alongside price.

We are often facing customers frustrated by the lack of beef having to look at alternatives such as chicken, eggs, and plant-based options.

Bord Bia’s role is to closely track these market trends and provide the insights and connections Irish exporters need to adapt and seize emerging opportunities.

In a market as large and complex as France, being on the ground with local language skills is a real advantage.

Many Irish exporters do significant trade here with little or no permanent staff in market. We provide them with neutral insights, updates, and practical support to strengthen customer engagement.

For companies entering the market for the first time, we save them a lot of time by sharing our network and knowledge.

Essentially, we act as a bridge between Irish suppliers and French customers.

Bord Bia has long-standing relationships with the French trade, which I have been building on over the past five years in this role.

My farming background and knowledge of French institutions have been invaluable in navigating this highly sensitive market.

Last June, Bord Bia had the pleasure of welcoming groups from two major French retail chains in Ireland to visit farms and beef suppliers.

Hopefully, there may be good news on that front in the near future.