Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has travelled to the UK in an effort to promote Irish beef in what remains our largest market for agri-food products.

The minister took part in a series of meetings in Birmingham to support and promote Irish beef in its most important market. The meeting are taking place in collaboration with Bord Bia.

The UK accounted for €8.1 billion-worth of Irish agri-food exports in 2025.

Beef is Ireland's leading agri-food export to the UK, increasing by 19% year-on-year to a value of €1.7 billion in 2025.

Since 2021, Irish beef exports to the UK have increased by 60% in value.

During the minister's trip to Birmingham, he met with representatives of key food industry suppliers and processors for a discussion on the current position and prospects for Irish beef in the UK market, and to emphasise Ireland’s commitment to servicing the industry with world class product.

Minister Heydon also met representative organisations to hear about the latest market developments and to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the coming years.

In addition, he met with key purchasers of Irish beef, including those supplying hotels, restaurants and food service businesses, to "stress Ireland’s commitment to the market".

Commenting on the series of meetings, Minister Heydon said: "I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the United Kingdom today to hear first-hand about the current environment for Irish beef in the UK market and the prospects for developing our exports further.

"In Ireland, we produce the best grass-fed beef in the world. This visit gave me an opportunity to meet with some of the main suppliers and key buyers of Irish beef to understand how we can continue to protect and strengthen Ireland's position with key customers in the UK," he added.

Also commenting on the visit to the UK, Bord Bia CEO Jim O'Toole said: "The is Ireland’s nearest, largest and most valuable market for beef, and protecting our position requires sustained engagement and strong trading relationships.

"At a time of significant change across the market, it is particularly important that we continue to show up, listen to our customers and partners, and understand the shared opportunities and challenges facing both the Irish and British beef sectors," O'Toole added.

Th Bord Bia CEO said that the minister's visit "reinforced Ireland's long-term commitment to the market and to supplying customers with high-quality, grass-fed Irish beef".