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Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, TD, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with his counterpart H.E Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi the Minister of Climate Change and Environment in the United Arab Emirates.

“The UAE is a very new horizon for us from a trading point of view. Today’s meeting with Minister Al Zeyoudi, and signing of the MoU, was about increasing the scope for deeper collaboration between our two countries and exploring how Ireland can help meet the food supply diversification needs of the UAE. As a country that exports 90% of the food that it produces, Ireland is an excellent fit with the region here which is dependent on food imports to meet 90% of its food needs. Our strong focus on quality, traceability and sustainability make Ireland a natural partner for the UAE.”

Minister Creed also met with senior representatives of the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority which is the competent authority for food safety in Abu Dhabi, along with their partner organisation the Abu Dhabi Farm Services Centre.

“I was very keen to highlight the important role of Sustainable Food Systems Ireland (SFSI) as a vehicle for sharing Ireland’s expertise in the agri food sector, and to reiterate Ireland’s ability and interest in providing technical assistance, in areas such as animal health, food and feed safety, sustainability, productivity and routes to market. We feel that we are in an excellent position to share this expertise on a commercial basis and that such collaboration ultimately leads to the kind of relationships upon which long term trading arrangements are built.”

Promotion of Ireland’s agri-tech offering to this region was also a key element and there were meetings with local companies here who may be potential future FDI investors in Ireland. Some 20 agricultural technology companies are participating in this Trade Mission in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and the Minister said;

“This is a joined up Team Ireland approach that goes beyond food and incorporates the whole agri sector. My aim here was to ensure that these innovative Irish companies have access to key markets here as well as potentially attracting some inward investment from this region into Ireland. I was delighted to have the opportunity to host meetings with their customers and clients today and over the course of this week”.

Later this evening the Minister will host an Origin Green promotional event at the Embassy of Ireland in Abu Dhabi, promoting sustainable Irish food to UAE consumers, and harnessing the energy and commitment of the Irish diaspora to help develop the profile of the Irish agri food sector in the region.