Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon and Minister of State for new markets Noel Grealish have announced that Vietnam will begin accepting beef products from Ireland.

The categories of products that can now be exported from Ireland to Vietnam includes beef, minced meat, meat preparations, heart, liver, kidney and cooked beef products.

Vietnam is the world’s 14th most populous country, with over 100 million people, and its economy has experienced rapid growth and development in recent years.

Rising disposable income, urbanisation and a shift toward eating out are leading to increased demand for beef. The middle class in the country is growing.

With limited domestic production and food service expansion, beef is seen as a premium protein in the country.

With market access for Irish beef now secured, Bord Bia is commissioning market insight research on the Vietnamese market.

The research findings will be used to inform Bord Bia’s beef clients of opportunities and potential routes into the beef sector in Vietnam.

Commenting on this development, Minister Heydon said: “Vietnam was designated as a priority market for access for Irish beef and my department has been very active in pursuit of this objective.

"Ongoing engagement at political, diplomatic and official levels have helped to advance the case for Irish beef. I visited Vietnam in September 2022 and met with the agriculture minister, while I hosted the vice minister the following year," he added.

Minister Heydon said the industry here selected Vietnam as one of its priorities for beef access.

"It is a market with a population of over 100 million people and a growing middle class, presenting significant opportunities for Irish Agri-food exporters.

"For beef, the door has now been opened and there is a real opportunity for the industry to build on," Minister Heydon said.

The minister said the the opening of the Vietnamese market for beef was a collaborative effort and he thanked those involved, including the Irish Embassy in Hanoi, department officials, Bord Bia, the European Commission, the food industry, and farmers.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister Grealish said: “This decision represents an endorsement by the Vietnamese administration of Ireland’s high food safety standards.

"I was delighted to visit Vietnam for St Patrick’s Day where I met with the Vice Minister of Agriculture who advised me of the positive outcome of last year’s audit visit to Ireland," Minister Grealish added.

The minister noted that Vietnam brings the number of markets for Irish beef to over 70.

Minister Grealish said that this announcement is "the culmination of a lengthy process and complements the existing access Ireland has for pigmeat."

"I hope the delivery of quality Irish beef opens the door for industry as we seek to build and enhance access to this very important market," he added.

Also commenting, Bord Bia CEO Jim O’Toole, said: “This is an important step that underlines the importance of continuing to open markets and develop new opportunities for Irish food and drink exports.

"Vietnam represents a large and promising market, and our understanding of its potential will be further strengthened by a new Bord Bia market insight report, due for publication in the first quarter of the year," O'Toole added.