Eight beef buyers from South Korea are touring Ireland, visiting beef farms and meat processors this week.

The group, which includes leading meat importers and distributors from South Korea, visited John Purcell’s farm near Golden, Co Tipperary, on Wednesday.

On the Bord Bia-hosted trip, which runs until Saturday 20 July, they have visited meat processors and are following an itinerary designed to give them an understanding of the capabilities of and the sustainable practices on Irish beef farms.

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South Korea and Japan manager with Bord Bia Joe Moore said the “influential buyers” will learn more about Irish beef production across the supply chain on the tour.

“We have been building ties with Korean buyers over many years, aided by EU co-funded campaigns and trade missions.

“By inviting buyers to Ireland, we demonstrate Ireland’s commitment to the Korean market while helping to build long-lasting commercial relationships,” he said.

Opportunities

Moore added that despite competition, there are prospects for Irish beef in South Korea.

“Although South Korea is a competitive beef market, dominated by grain-fed imports, there are opportunities for Irish beef to cater for consumers looking for pasture-raised, high-quality and nutritious beef.

“There has been strong and immediate interest from the Korean trade in Irish beef, with several significant contracts already in place,” he said.

Access

In May, Irish beef gained access to South Korea, with seven plants approved to supply the market,

In September, Bord Bia will host a Government-led trade mission to South Korea where Irish beef will be formally launched to consumers.

This follows on from a previous Government trade mission to Seoul held in 2019 and a further cross-Government departmental trade mission to Korea in 2023.

The visit has been organised by Bord Bia as part of an EU co-funded campaign to promote Irish and European beef and lamb across South Korea, Japan, China and the US.

Now in its final year, the three-year campaign has invested €4.8m across the four markets.

The current EU campaign in South Korea builds on a previous campaign implemented by Bord Bia that engaged with over 650 Korean customers and ran from 2019 to 2021.