The Vietnam leg of Ireland’s agri-food trade mission to Japan, Singapore and Vietnam has concluded with “significant” progress on Irish beef access.
That is according to Minister Martin Heydon TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for New Market Development at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who met with the Vietnamese Minister Le Minh Hoan of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
As part of the engagement, Vietnam has agreed to send an inspection team to Ireland by the end of the year to progress an application for beef access.
Minister Heydon said the inspection visit represents “major” progress towards access to Vietnam for Irish beef.
Minister Heydon said that the DAFM has identified Vietnam as “a priority” in relation to new market access.
They also agreed to renew their existing Memorandum of Understanding. The minister said this will “deepen” its cooperation in a number of areas of mutual interest, particularly sustainable agriculture.
Vietnam has agreed a Trade Agreement with the EU, which came into force in January 2020. This will result in “significant” agricultural tariff reductions on member states’ agri-food exports.
Vietnam is a “lower mid-income socialist” East Asian economy of over 100 million people, experiencing rapid investment and productivity growth.
The trade mission builds on Ireland’s world-class reputation for food produce, agri-tech capability and sustainable food systems with key stakeholders in Japan, Singapore and Vietnam and the wider South-East Asia region.
Highlight achievements include:
- Further development of key political and commercial relationships between Ireland and Japan, Singapore and Vietnam;
- Promoting Ireland’s Food Vision 2030 strategy;
- Engaging in discussions on improving market access.
Progress
The DAFM said this was one of Ireland’s “most comprehensive and in-depth” trade missions in recent years.
Throughout the 10-day mission, the Irish delegation built on and promoted Ireland’s agri-food reputation in Japan, Singapore and Vietnam.
The successful collaboration on the trade mission between the DAFM, Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and the Sustainable Food System Ireland has ensured that:
- Key governmental and commercial relationships have been developed;
- Market access for Irish produce has been widened;
- High-quality Irish agri-food produce has been showcased to new audiences.
