Kuwait has opened its doors to Irish meat and meat products, as was confirmed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.
The new agreement, which has been reached with Public Authority for Food and Nutrition of Kuwait, will see future shipments of Irish beef, sheepmeat and poultry to the country.
Irish agri-food exports to Kuwait amounted €17.1 million in 2017, 93% of which were dairy exports.
“This agreement follows on from bilateral negotiations between my Department and Kuwait, with the ongoing assistance of the Irish Embassy in Abu Dhabi, including our Agricultural Attaché in the Gulf Region who is based in the Embassy,” the Minister said, welcoming the agreement.
“The opening of this new market is a reflection of the confidence held by the Kuwaiti authorities in the high standards of food safety and the rigorous controls in Ireland. It marks another important step in the development of Ireland’s agri-food links with Kuwait and with the whole Gulf region.”
Ireland & Kuwait
Ireland previously hosted a discovery visit for Kuwaiti officials in March, led by Sustainable Food Systems Ireland, which helped to progress negotiations.
The opening of the Kuwaiti market follows on from the announcement in July that Ireland had gained access for the export of beef, sheepmeat and poultry to Qatar.
These new markets come under the market development theme of the Food Wise 2025 Strategy, under which the Department, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Bord Bia will work closely to increase the number of markets worldwide to which Irish meat exporters have access.
“Details on these new markets are being added to the DAFM market access portal which I launched in May and a Trader Notice will issue shortly. Growing and developing new markets, a key theme of the Food Wise strategy, is an important response to possible Brexit impacts on the sector,” Creed added.
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
