The Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Michael Creed, is set to embark on a trade mission to Indonesia and Malaysia next month.
He made the announcement after he chaired the 17th meeting of the Food Wise 2025 High Level Implementation Committee (HLIC) today (Wednesday, September 26).
Brexit and market development – as well as the tillage and horticulture sectors – were some of the key topics discussed at the meeting.
According to the department, market development was identified as “one of the five cross-cutting themes within Food Wise 2025″.
It highlights the need to ensure that Irish products are targeted at the right markets and the right segments within these markets, the department added.
Commenting on this, the minister said: “I would urge all of the stakeholders – public and private – to refocus their efforts and to drive the sector forward to meet both the opportunities and challenges in developing new markets for the Irish agri-food sector.”
During the course of the HLIC meeting, the minister stated that his department is “continuing to assess the impacts of Brexit on the agri-food sector – for which preparedness and contingency planning is a priority”.
“I will continue to work with our agencies and stakeholders to ensure the sector is prepared, as much as it can be, for Brexit,” he added.
Meanwhile, the minister also acknowledged the contribution made by the tillage and horticulture sectors of some €700 million to agricultural output.
“In line with the primary sector as a whole, tillage and horticulture have faced challenges this year. In partnership with them, we will continue to support and develop the sectors,” he concluded.