Bord Bia plans market relaunch as Irish beef exports to China reopen
Bord Bia will officially relaunch Irish beef to the market in February for Chinese New Year.
Following the announcement by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) that Irish beef market access to China has reopened, Bord Bia will commence a relaunch campaign to coincide with Chinese New Year, marking the return of Irish beef to the Chinese market after exports were suspended in October 2024.
Bord Bia CEO Jim O’Toole has welcomed the announcement, which was confirmed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon.
“This is positive news for the Irish beef sector, offering exporters the opportunity to broaden their market options and capture returns across a range of specialist beef cuts.
"In the longer term, Bord Bia, working closely with Irish exporters, is committed to building stable, sustainable growth for Irish beef in the Chinese market.”
Sinead Kennedy, Bord Bia China Manager, added: “Bord Bia has continuously engaged with Chinese importers, many of whom remain committed to working with Irish suppliers to develop opportunities in both foodservice and retail.
"With the resumption of exports, we can now dial up our activities in China. This includes promotional activities under Bord Bia's €3.45 million EU-funded campaign to promote beef and lamb, which has already been launched in Japan and Singapore.”
Bord Bia's office in Shanghai will officially relaunch Irish beef to the market in February for Chinese New Year (February 17 - March 3) with key customers, Irish beef companies and Chinese trade media.
Following this, the EU co-funded beef and lamb campaign will commence in Beijing in March.
In the months following, there will be industry engagements for the B2B community with chef demonstrations on how to cook Irish beef, plus the presence of Irish beef at China's largest food and drink trade fair, SIAL, in May.
Meanwhile, Minister Heydon, along with Minister of State Noel Grealish, also welcomed the opening of the Vietnamese market for Irish beef exports. Minister Grealish is the Minister of State with responsibility for Food Promotion and New Market.
Announcing the news, 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.
"I used these opportunities to advance the case for Irish beef to achieve access to this important market.”
The Minister added: “Vietnam is the world’s 14th most populous country 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.
"Industry 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.”
Welcoming the announcement, Minister Grealish commented: “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.
"Since then, officials in both countries have worked together to agree the conditions under which trade can take place, culminating in this very positive outcome.
“This ongoing work is one of the key pillars of the Food Vision 2030 strategy and makes a strong contribution to the Government’s Action Plan on Market Diversification," said Minister Grealish. "The expansion of markets for Irish beef is crucial for the further development of our beef sector. Vietnam brings the number of markets for Irish beef to over 70 and we are actively working on others.
"Every new international market increases the economic sustainability of our beef sector and positively impacts on family farms and employment in rural Ireland adding value sustainably into the future.”
Minister Grealish added: “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.”
Also commenting, Bord Bia CEO Jim O’Toole, said: “I am delighted that Irish beef has secured market access to Vietnam, which has been a priority market for access. 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.”
Concluding, Minister Heydon noted the collaborative effort of all involved, including the Irish Embassy in Hanoi, Department officials, who together led this effort, along with Bord Bia, the European Commission, as well as the food industry and farmers.
“It has taken a huge effort by team Ireland, over several years, to get beef market access to Vietnam across the line, and Minister Grealish and I thank everyone who has contributed to those efforts. It is great to see our hard work now bearing fruit,” Minister Heydon said.
