Attendees at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai had the opportunity to taste Irish beef and it proved popular among the crowds.
The Bord Bia stand was the only one where European beef was available for tasting and crowds formed a lengthy queue in order to get a taste.
This is the first year the expo has been held and there is a projected attendance of 150,000 buying professionals.
It is being held in the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) which has an area of 500,000m2, which is equivalent to 123 acres.
Bord Bia was delighted to bring 11 Irish dairy and meat companies to the 1st China Int' Import Expo in Shanghai. 150k visitors had the opportunity to enjoy tastings of Irish beef and explore the @OriginGreen and EU Beef&Lamb stands #CIIE pic.twitter.com/JtdTHPDohV
— Irish Food Board (@Bordbia) November 9, 2018
CIIE is an initiative from Chinese president Xi Jingping as part of the country’s One Belt, One Road strategy to encourage global trade.
Along with the beef samples, there were also 11 Irish exhibitors from the pigmeat, dairy and beef sectors.
Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy and Minister of State Andrew Doyle also attended the expo earlier in the week, along with officials from the Department of Agriculture.
Sinead McPhillips and Paula Barry-Walsh from the Department of Agriculture had been in Beijing attending technical meetings with their Chinese counterparts.
At the meetings, further access for Irish beef was discussed and sheepmeat access talks were designated a priority in 2019.