The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney T.D, yesterday visited Madrid and Seville where he held a bilateral meeting with his Spanish counterpart the Minister for Agriculture Isabel Garcia Tejerina, accepted the ASAJA award for services to Agriculture and participated in a Bord Bia promotion campaign for Irish Beef.

During the bilateral meeting, Ministers Coveney and Garcia Tejereina discussed a range of current issues including the future of the milk sector, the Russian trade ban, international trade negations, climate change, and the simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy and the ban on fish discards. Minister Coveney said “Ireland and Spain have always enjoyed a very good working relationship on EU Agriculture and Fisheries Policy and this was strengthened significantly during the Irish Presidency of the EU in 2013”.

Minister Coveney added “my purpose in this meeting was to ensure that we build on this close relationship in the period ahead and I am delighted to say that Minister Garcia Tejereina was of the same mind. We agreed that we would work closely on current issues such as the simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Implementation of the new landing obligation for the whitefish fisheries”.

Minister Coveney also visited Spain´s largest department store El Corte Inglés.  The Minister said that “Irish beef has been sold here for the past two decades as a premium, grass fed, sustainable product. This again proves our credentials as a supplier of highest quality premium beef and is part of our strategy of securing a diversity of international beef markets which can ensure the long-term sustainability of our beef sector”.

As part of the strategy to increase brand awareness, Bord Bia has invested in a Brand Ambassador to conduct marketing activities, in-store tastings and build the brand among consumers via social media, telling the story of Irish beef and strengthening relationships with the butcher, an indispensable opinion former.

During his visit to the store Minister Coveney was also shown other Irish products on the by El Corte Inglés shelves such as Kerrygold butter and cheddar, Donegold brown crab, Virginia Harvest linseeds and Irish whiskey, beers and cream Liquors.

The Minister also visited Seville where he received the prestigious ASAJA award for his service to Agriculture during the successful negotiation of CAP reform which received political agreement under his Chair during the Irish Presidency in 2013. During his acceptance remarks the Minister said “it was an honour and a privilege for me to chair the EU Council of Ministers in the first six months of 2013 when the negotiations on reform of the Common Agricultural Policy were at such a crucial stage”.

View Press Release as a PDF:  DAFMPR 14/2015 (pdf 637Kb) ‌

Date Released: 02 February 2015