On day one of the Government of Ireland, Agri-Food Trade Mission to Asia, the Minister for Agriculture Food & Marine, Michael Creed T.D., met with Japan’s Minister for Health Labour and Welfare Minister Katsunobo Kato.

Commenting on the meeting, Minister Creed said:

 “This was a useful opportunity to hold high level discussions with a Senior Minister here in Japan, with responsibilities in the areas of Food safety, standards and certification.  I took the opportunity to request that the 30 month age limit on our beef exports be raised and also undertook to begin the process of gaining market access for Irish sheepmeat to Japan.  Minister Kato was interested in discussing Brexit and its implications for Ireland and the EU as a whole.”

The Minister’s opening engagement of the day was a briefing on the Japanese market for the 40 Irish food company delegates accompanying him on the mission.  Minister Creed also met with Suntory Group, an important dairy, consumer food and pharmacy business in Japan. Suntory Group has well-established ties with Ireland including a strong focus on beverage products, with both Cooley and Kilbeggan distilleries coming under its umbrella. Suntory are also very open to opportunities to collaborate with Irish researchers; in the past, they have fostered R&D programmes with Teagasc, UCC and other authorities.

 Minister Creed stressed the importance of fostering ties with important groups such as Suntory:

 "It's very encouraging to see such large and diverse companies expressing an interest in Ireland, particularly groups like Suntory who have already invested in research in Ireland. The meeting today has been a great chance to strengthen that relationship, and I hope these talks will foster new opportunities for further collaborations."

Commenting on the activities of Bord Bia’s client companies on day one of the Mission, Tara McCarthy, Chief Executive, Bord Bia said:

 "The core focus of this week's Trade Mission is to fully immerse our client companies in two potentially valuable export markets. Both Japan and South Korea feature strongly as priority markets with significant potential for dairy, meat and seafood. Bord Bia's work to date in terms of understanding market dynamics highlights the need for a tailored approach to these markets."

In his final engagements of the first day of the trade mission, Minister Creed met with Japan/Ireland Parliamentary Friendship League and the Friends of Ireland Business Advisory Group. These committees are advisory groups of high-level Japanese executives, including Mr. Yuji Yamamoto, former Minister for Agriculture and Food, with an interest in assisting Irish businesses. The purpose of these meetings was to share information on Irish and Japanese markets, particularly in the context of the EU-Japan Free Trade agreement. The business dinner with the Friends of Ireland group was also attended by Ireland's Ambassador to Japan, Anne Barrington.

On day one of the Government of Ireland, Agri-Food Trade Mission to Asia, the Minister for Agriculture Food & Marine, Michael Creed TD, met with Japan’s Minister for Health Labour and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D. pictured with Japan’s Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare, Minister Katsunobu Kato.

ENDS

Date Released: 13 November 2017