Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Andrew Doyle T.D., yesterday officially opened the Irish pavilion at BIOFACH. BIOFACH is the leading global event for organic food and is held annually in Nuremberg, Germany. The Irish stand, organised by Bord Bia, has nine Irish companies exhibiting. This year’s event is expected to bring together up to 2,500 exhibitors and up to 52,000 trade visitors from over 130 countries.
Speaking at the opening Minister Doyle commented; “The importance of Biofach to food producers and the market cannot be underestimated. It offers Irish Organic producers the opportunity to showcase their products to a global audience. Today’s event shows that Irish companies, with high-quality organic products, are amongst the best in the world. I firmly believe that the growth of the Organic Sector in Ireland will be driven by market opportunities”.
Minister Doyle highlighted the important role of the new Strategy for the Irish Organic food sector to 2025 which he launched last week; “This Strategy really highlights the opportunities for the Irish Organic sector to the year 2025 and beyond. A strong Irish presence at events like Biofach, are the key to realising the growth opportunities for the Irish organic sector. The strategy sets a clear vision for the growth of the Irish Organic Sector up to 2025 and is further evidence of this Government’s commitment to the Irish Organic Sector”.
Minister Doyle acknowledged the ongoing work of Bord Bia in raising raise the profile of organic food among consumers both at home and abroad and for the presentation of this Irish offering at this Biofach event.
Speaking ahead of the launch Ms. Tara McCarthy, CEO Bord Bia, stated; “As worldwide demand for healthy, sustainable and trustworthy food choices grows, Irish organic producers are ideally positioned to meet global consumer needs. Biofach 2019 allows us to showcase the high-quality organic produce Ireland has to offer while providing Irish producers and processors an excellent opportunity to network with purchasing decision makers, both from Europe and further afield”.
Looking ahead to 2019 Ms. McCarthy further confirmed; “In 2019, Bord Bia will provide increased support for Irish organic companies abroad with additional funding, including the use of EU co-funding, for the promotion of organic food. Bord Bia is also actively undertaking international research to better explore the potential for delivering Irish organic produce to target export markets”.
The Minister is undertaking a number of events during his visit to Biofach. These include promotions of individual Irish organic products and meetings with key buyers. During the course of his visit to Nuremberg Minister Doyle will also meet with Mr. Marcel Reinhard, Regional Manager for German organic retailer denn’s Biomarkt to discuss potential market opportunities for Irish organic products.
