This week’s trade mission to Mexico to increase pigmeat and agricultural produce exports sees Minister Martin Heydon and Bord Bia engaging with Mexican officials and agri-food stakeholders.
It will be led by Minister Martin Heydon TD who will be joined by officials from the Department of Agriculture, BordBia CEO Tara McCarthy and the Embassy of Ireland for meetings with senior ministers of the Mexican government and members of the Mexican National Agricultural Council.
Speaking from Mexico, Minister Heydon said the country is “an important and growing market for Irish agri food. It is especially timely to visit just as the first shipment of Irish pork arrives in Mexico. My Department is working closely with their counterparts to enhance market access for Irish agri-food exports, including expanded access for pigmeat products, and this trade mission is an opportunity to raise these requests at political level.”
The visit abroad coincides with BordBia’s promotion of its €3.8m EU Pork campaign in Mexico City, which strives to build awareness of Ireland as a supplier of high-quality, safe and sustainably produced pork. The three-year campaign – European Pork and Poultry: Excellence in Quality Assurance and Food Safety – focuses exclusively on pork for Mexico and targets its 126m population.
The Mexico trip also sees the launch of an initiative to provide support to female entrepreneurs there. This female rural entrepreneurs’ programme is jointly funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Drawing from experience from Ireland’s successful ACORNs programme, it will focus on empowering female entrepreneurs in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
“In Ireland, our Food Vision 2030 strategy calls out the key role of women in our farming and food communities, but acknowledges that their contribution needs to be better recognised and supported. I am so pleased that the model developed by ACORNS, with new entrepreneurs gaining practical advice from a mentor and sharing learnings with their peer group, which has supported so many of our fantastic female entrepreneurs at home, will now begin in Mexico,” Minister Heydon said.