The trade mission to North America is moving to Mexico on Thursday, where the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed will meet with his counterpart Jose Eduardo Calzada Rovirosa.

“With a market of 127m people, Mexico is an exciting developing market where we need to establish better ties and links,” Creed said. “Our meetings with our Mexican counterparts, as well as local experts, will help us to better understand the industry here and to make sure our offerings are appropriate and in line with the demands of the Mexican market.”

Meat exports

Ireland does not have access for meat products to Mexico at the moment.

“Therefore I intend to present a detailed pigmeat questionnaire to the relevant authorities here, marking an important step along the road to achieving market access,” Creed said. “I also intend to officially announce our intention to seek beef access to the Mexican market.”

Mexico has a population of 127m, making it the 11th largest country in the world in population terms. Agri food exports to Mexico have increased by around 20% from €47.1m (10,300t) in 2012 to €57.4m (15,900t) in 2016. In dairy terms, Mexico was the 13th largest destination for Irish dairy exports in 2016, with total exports of around €52.6m or 14,500t. This marks an increase of almost 50% from the amount seen in 2012.

The other main category of exports to Mexico is beverages, which in 2016 were worth €4m (1,163t).