Press release
Minister Heydon concludes Malaysian leg of major agri-food trade missions and heads to the Philippines
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, who holds special responsibility for New Market Development, concluded the Malaysian leg of his Ministerial trade mission in South East Asia before arriving in the Philippines today (Wednesday).
While in Malaysia, the Minister held a number of political and food promotion meetings and events. This included a meeting with the Malaysian Minister of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) Mr. Mohamad Bin Sabu. Among the issues discussed, at both political and technical levels, was Ireland’s Market Access application for the export of Irish Duckmeat to Malaysia. At the meeting, Minister Heydon secured a commitment from the Malaysian authorities that the market will be fully open to Irish imports by year-end.
The Ministers also discussed agri-food cooperation between both countries. It was agreed that Sustainable Food Systems Ireland (SFSI) and MAFS should examine potential areas of co-operation on relevant projects.
The Minister commented:
“Malaysia is a country with whom we have great scope for cooperation. Ireland is willing to share knowledge and expertise as we strive towards a sustainable food systems. Ireland has been a prominent voice for a food systems approach and that is enshrined in the national sectoral strategy Food Vision 2030, which has adopted the ambition to be a global leader in sustainable food systems by 2030.”
Speaking of the impact of the Trade Mission so far, Minister Heydon stated:
“Malaysia, as a market was worth €65 million in Irish agri-food exports in 2022 and this week highlighted the scope for growing this further. I was delighted to meet some key Malaysian commercial players this week and raise awareness of the quality and sustainability of our Irish dairy, seafood and pork products."
As part of the Trade Mission to Malaysia and the Philippines, Minister of State for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon also attended an Enterprise Ireland Agri Business Breakfast Briefing event in Kuala Lumpur.
The events aimed to further strengthen the relationship between participating Malaysian companies and Ireland through continued knowledge sharing and partnerships.
Speaking of the Breakfast Briefing, Kevin Ryan, Director ASEAN, Enterprise Ireland said:
"This event provided a fantastic opportunity to understand more about Ireland as a destination for agrifood excellence and innovation, and how Irish companies can connect with the growth ambitions of Malaysian partners to help bring about shared prosperity to the sector. Speakers included representatives from SFSI (Sustainable Food Systems Ireland) and Teagasc. Leading Irish companies innovating in the agritech and biotech sectors in the region highlighted how their solutions are solving real challenges for their partners in Malaysia, including Dairymaster and Kennan Alltech."
Minister Heydon also promoted Bord Bia campaigns aimed at promoting Irish pigmeat in the Malaysian market as well as EU Dairy campaigns. Following a successful pigment systems audit in May/June 2022, four pigmeat plants were approved in October 2022 for the export of Irish pork and pork products to Malaysia. Trade commenced in December and volume and value to date in 2023 suggests that Malaysia presents a significant market opportunity for the Irish pork sector.
Bord Bia CEO Jim O’Toole said:
“We have had a very successful trip to Malaysia with a strong focus on meat and dairy, which included the successful launch of Irish pork into the market following access last year. Bord Bia also embarked on an EU dairy campaign aiming to drive €15 million in dairy growth to Malaysia and the Philippines. At this event we targeted over 100 Malaysian dairy importers and manufacturers, demonstrating Ireland’s ability to respond to consumer demands for safely produced, high-quality dairy produce. Malaysia is a country that is not self-sufficient in producing dairy or meat and values Ireland’s rigorous quality assurance programmes under Origin Green to produce world-class food and drink. We have used this time in Malaysia to enhance our understanding of the market with a view to furthering commercial opportunities for Irish exporters in the region.”
The Minister was also keynote speaker at a Bord Bia organised EU Dairy Technical Seminar attended by prominent companies from both countries. The seminar included detailed presentations by Teagasc, SFSI and Bord Bia.
The trade mission continues in the Philippines where the Minister will have meetings with the Minister of Trade followed by leading a number of food promotion events today and tomorrow.
Sustainable Food Systems Ireland (SFSI) is a Government of Ireland initiative established to offer Ireland’s experience and expertise in transforming food and agriculture systems to partner countries. SFSI brings together Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Teagasc with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) under one umbrella. Malaysia’s current national agri-food strategy NAP 2.0 (2021 to 2030) envisions a paradigm shift to a sustainable food system that is competitive, innovative, inclusive and improves the wellbeing of food producers. NAP 2.0 focuses specifically on 4 sub-industries: paddy and rice; fruits and vegetables; livestock and fisheries /aquaculture.
The Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028 (PDP) envisions the modernisation of agriculture and agribusiness through a whole of value-chain approach to raise the level of income of primary producers beyond the poverty threshold, with strengthened local food systems and agricultural institutions.
2022 Irish Agri-food Exports to:
| Malaysia | €68,147,000 | 26,242 tonnes | including Dairy €63 million. | |
| The Philippines | €173,286,000 | 72,576 tonnes | including Dairy €72.5 million, beef €50.5 million, pigmeat €24 million, animal Fats €13.5 million and animal feed €9.5 million. |
Export comparison 2018-2022
| Jan-Dec 2018 | Jan-Dec 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ind | €000 Tonnes | €000 Tonnes | (+ / -) Value Y-to-Y |
| Grand Total | 117,059 74,455 | 241,432 98,818 | 124,374 106.25% |
| Philippines | 62,304 41,550 | 173,286 72,576 | 110,981 178.13% |
| Malaysia | 54,755 32,905 | 68,147 26,242 | 13,392 24.46% |