Seven organic Irish food and drink companies are targeting export opportunities at BIOFACH, the world’s leading trade fair for organic produce, taking place in Nuremberg, Germany this week.
Minister of State for land use and biodiversity, Pippa Hackett will meet the Irish exporters over the next two days (February 13-15) who are exhibiting at the Origin Green pavilion, as part of a visit to Germany in support of business development in the region.
The market visit, hosted by Bord Bia’s Dusseldorf office, will include meetings with key customers of Irish organic produce, and a visit to leading organic retailer Denn’s Biomarkt.
Speaking from Nuremburg, Minister Hackett said: “The ongoing development of the organic sector in Ireland requires the support of a thriving export market, and participation in BIOFACH is crucial to this.
“Ireland’s consistent and united presence each year at BIOFACH, hosted by Bord Bia, ensures that Ireland’s organic producers are front and centre at the largest gathering of organic buyers in the world.
“Ireland has long been recognised as a top-quality food producer, and our ongoing investment in the organic sector will bolster our global reputation even further.”
Supporting organic exports
Bord Bia has said that participation in the trade fair is part of a suite of marketing activities it runs to support the Irish organic sector.
Last autumn, Bord Bia commenced a €1 million marketing campaign targeting Irish consumers aged 24 to 44, funded through the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) fund.
In December, Bord Bia secured over €1.5 million in funding from the EU to promote organic beef and lamb across Germany, Belgium, Austria and Sweden.
The three-year business-to-business campaign begins in June under the banner ‘EU Organic Beef and Lamb, Pasture Raised in Ireland’, with a total budget of €2.7 million (including VAT) co-funded by the EU and Bord Bia.
Bord Bia chief executive Jim O’Toole commented: “Participation in BIOFACH has long been an important date in the calendar for Bord Bia and our organic exporters.
“Thanks to increased funding from our parent department and the awarding of EU funding, we have intensified our support for the organic sector in recent years.
“In Ireland, we begin the second phase of a national advertising campaign for organics in May, following a positive response to the autumn ‘More-ganic’ campaign.
“Development of our target export markets was given a significant boost with the awarding of EU funding last year to run an organic beef and lamb promotion across four markets.
“We look forward to commencing the campaign this summer with special launch events in Berlin and Brussels,” he added.
Minister Hackett continued: “As Bord Bia works to grow commercial interest in Irish organic food across Europe, at home the sector continues to grow apace.
Pancakes and Valentines all wrapped into one this morning – thank you @ClrMarkHackett 💕. Now off to #BIOFACH in Germany with @Bordbia – the world’s leading organic trade fair – to continue work on securing markets for #Organic produce from Irish farmers. pic.twitter.com/vN1qvyGDbX
— Pippa Hackett (@pippa_hackett) February 13, 2024
“As of last week, we welcomed over 1,000 new farmers into the Organic Farming Scheme bringing the total to over 5,000 participants, which will see a tripling of the land under organic since 2020.”