Bord Bia is launching a series of meat promotional campaigns with the European Union in China worth €8 million. The co-funded campaigns to promote meat from Europe will also build awareness of Ireland as a supplier of high-quality, safe and sustainably produced beef, lamb, pork and poultry.
Coinciding with the ministerial-led trade mission to China, Bord Bia is hosting a chef masters event in Beijing, Sustainable European Meat from Ireland, and a trade seminar in Shanghai to promote the best of European beef, lamb, pork and poultry from Ireland.
On day one of the trade mission to China (Monday, May 15th) Bord Bia will host its first chef masters’ event, Sustainable European Meat from Ireland, in Beijing which will bring together the top players in the Chinese foodservice sector for an expert showcase of how Irish beef and pork can be adapted to Chinese cuisine. The chefs masters’ event will also provide the opportunity for new and existing Chinese customers to connect with Irish meat companies and sample Irish beef during a networking reception at the end of the seminar.
This will be followed by a trade seminar in Shanghai on May 17th which will bring together two of Bord Bia’s EU co-funded campaigns; European Beef and Lamb – Ireland, Working with Nature and European Pork and Poultry: Excellence in Food Safety and Quality Assurance. The three-year, €4.8 million EU co-funded campaign, European Beef and Lamb – Ireland, Working with Nature campaign has been building awareness of beef and lamb across China, Japan, Korea Republic and the US since last December.
The campaigns are timely given the resumption of Irish beef exports to China earlier this year.
The three-year, €3.8 million EU co-funded campaign, European Pork and Poultry: Excellence in Food Safety and Quality Assurance has been building awareness of Ireland’s quality assurance and food safety credentials in China and Mexico since 2020.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue T.D. said: “China is a very important trading partner for the Irish agri-food sector and we look forward to continually strengthening this trading relationship. It is fitting that the European Union has selected Ireland to showcase the best meat Europe has to offer, with the two EU Campaigns for beef, pork, lamb, and poultry. These events will involve key messaging on Ireland’s sustainably produced grass fed beef and lamb and demonstrate Irish beef and pork’s suitably and adaptability to Chinese cuisine.”
In addition to these physical activities, the campaigns will undertake a suite of digital promotional activities, such as website and social media, advertising and recipe video development showcasing how European meat from Ireland can be adapted to reflect a fusion of western and Chinese cuisines.
Bord Bia’s Senior Manager EU Promotions Declan Fennell said, “These co-funded campaigns with the EU are pivotal in extending the global footprint of Irish meat in China and are expected to result in €37 million in return in Irish beef and lamb exports to the market.”
Mr Fennell said that given the challenges in recent years with restricted access to China during the pandemic, a large focus of the campaigns will be the building new relationships between Irish exporters and local importers and distributors in China.
“Ireland’s beef, lamb, pork and poultry adhere to the highest quality and traceability standards and are valued by consumers worldwide,” he said. “The EU campaign’s focus will be about building awareness of the advantages of the European, and more specifically Irish outdoor grass-based production systems. These events in China showcase what makes Irish meat special and attractive to the Chinese consumer.”
The launch of the EU campaigns in China follows on from a recent visit of officials from China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to Ireland on a knowledge transfer programme organised by Bord Bia, which included visits to Irish farms and processors (and government departments) to learn about Ireland’s sustainable practices and high-quality production of pork and poultry.
