Ireland will be able to export beef to Vietnam again after the two sides finally reached an agreement.
The Irish government has spent years convincing Vietnam that Irish beef is safe.
Vietnamese authorities carried out a successful inspection of Irish farming practices in October 2024 which helped to pave the way for the agreement.
It is understood that the European Commission has been working with the Irish government to get the deal.
“Vietnam was designated as a priority market for access for Irish beef and my Department has been very active in pursuit of this objective”, said Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD.
“Ongoing engagement at political, diplomatic and official levels have helped to advance the case for Irish beef. I visited Vietnam in September 2022 and met with the Agriculture Minister, while I hosted the Vice Minister the following year. I used these opportunities to advance the case for Irish beef to achieve access to this important market.”
With market access for Irish beef now secured, it is understood that Bord Bia has commissioned market insight research to gain a “comprehensive understanding” of the Vietnamese market.
Vietnam has a population of 100 million and Irish farmers hope that Vietnam could become an important export market for Ireland.
“Vietnam is the world’s 14th most populous country and its economy has experienced rapid growth and development in recent years. Rising disposable income, urbanisation and a shift toward eating out are leading to increased demand for beef”, said Martin Heydon.
Minister of State with responsibility for Food Promotion and New Markets, Noel Grealish TD said that there had been hard work behind the scenes to get to this point.
“This decision represents an endorsement by the Vietnamese Administration of Ireland’s high food safety standards. I was delighted to visit Vietnam for St Patrick’s Day where I met with the Vice Minister of Agriculture who advised me of the positive outcome of last year’s audit visit to Ireland. Since then, officials in both countries have worked together to agree the conditions under which trade can take place, culminating in this very positive outcome.”
The decision to grant access to Irish beef “complements” an existing agreement to accept imports of Irish pigmeat, the government said.
Bord Bia’s chief exec, Jim O’Toole, said:
“I am delighted that Irish beef has secured market access to Vietnam, which has been a priority market for access. This is an important step that underlines the importance of continuing to open markets and develop new opportunities for Irish food and drink exports. Vietnam represents a large and promising market, and our understanding of its potential will be further strengthened by a new Bord Bia market insight report, due for publication in the first quarter of the year.”
Minister Heydon said getting the beef agreement has involved staff at the Irish Embassy in Hanoi, Department officials as well as Bord Bia, the European Commission, food industry and farmers.
“It has taken a huge effort by team Ireland, over several years, to get beef market access to Vietnam across the line.”