A Government delegation has today embarked on a trade mission to the southeast Asian countries of Indonesia and Malaysia.

The two countries have been identified by Bord Bia as offering high potential in the immediate future for dairy and in the medium term for meat.

The focus of the mission will be to promote Irish dairy as a sustainable product, to progress market access for Irish meats and to facilitate increased business opportunities for Irish companies.

Indonesia has the fourth-largest population in the world, at over 260 million people.

Irish agri-food exports to Indonesia last year amounted to €22m. These were mainly dairy products.

Malaysia has a population of 32 million. Last year, agri-food exports amounted to €38m and again were almost all were dairy.

Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed is leading the delegation and speaking ahead of the trade mission he said: “Dairy will obviously be a major focus for the mission, but there will also be opportunities to discuss meat market access and promote our seafood exports.

"Market development is a key theme of our shared Food Wise 2025 strategy for the sustainable growth of the sector, and increasing our share of international markets is an important response to the threat posed by Brexit”.

Also part of the delegation is Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy. She said the mission was an opportunity to raise the profile of the Irish food industry in import dependant markets.