On the final leg of the Trade Mission to the Americas, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed T.D., launched the Irish-Mexican Chamber of Commerce at a reception hosted by the Ambassador of Ireland to Mexico.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister said; "Ireland and Mexico already have strong economic, political, cultural and historical links and the possibility of a balanced Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Mexico, the launch tonight of the Irish Mexican Chamber is a further building block in a solid relationship that has ample space to grow and flourish. It is therefore my great pleasure to formally launch the Irish Mexican Chamber and wish all of you every success"

In advance of returning home the Minister reflected on the successful mission.

“It has been a great pleasure to lead this trade mission, and to make connections in these two very important markets. The visit has given us a great opportunity to promote the high quality of our produce and to advance market access.”

“The USA and Mexico combined have a population of about 450 million people. Ireland needs to keep up with trends and customer demand in these countries, so that we can stay competitive in such an important market. This trade mission has been a great opportunity for our food producers to meet with their counterparts and this week we have strengthened and developed our contacts in these markets, and we’ve also benefited from their expertise.”

In April, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine announced a seven point plan to increase international market access for Irish food and drink exports. This trip to the USA and Mexico comes as part of an intensified programme of trade missions to promote Irish produce, as outlined in the plan. During the Trade Mission Senior Department officials also held parallel technical discussions with the relevant authorities and agencies in the US and Mexico.

“It’s important that we actively follow up on our achievements this week”, said Minister Creed. “We see these visits as part of an ongoing programme to establish strong relationships with other markets, and to increase Ireland’s options for exports.”

Further Trade Missions are currently being planned to take place before the end of the year.

Note for Editors:

• Mexico has a population of 127 million making it the 11th largest country in the world in population terms. It is the 15th largest economy in the world with projections that it will move into the top five by 2050. 
• Agri food exports to Mexico have increased by around 20% from €47.1 million (10,300 tonnes) in 2012 to €57.4 million (15,900 tonnes) in 2016. 
• In dairy terms Mexico was the 13th largest destination for Irish dairy exports in 2016 with total exports of around €52.6 million or 14,500 tonnes.  This marks an increase of almost 50% from the amount seen in 2012, which was €35.1 million or 8,000 tonnes. The main categories are:

• Infant Formula - €9.2 million, 814 tonnes
• Fat Filled Milk Powders (FFMP) - €17.8 million, 8.396 tonnes
• Caseins - €25.0 million, 5,132 tonnes

To view this Press Release as a PDF: DAFMPR 115/2017 (pdf 454Kb) 

Date Released: 23 June 2017