(From left): Tom Glynn (Errigle Fish); Norman Chambers (C & N Chambers); Mr Noel Treacy T.D. (Minister of State for the Department of Agriculture & Food): Nicholas Ranninger (Market Developmnet, BIM Paris); Irish Ambassador to Russia; Tom McLaughlin (Market Development, BIM Dusseldorf)

A first for the seafood industry! World Food Moscow was the venue for the first ever all-Ireland seafood pavilion when fourteen Irish companies from both North and South of the border travelled out to display the best of their produce at World Food Moscow on 21-24 September, 2004.

The event was co-organised by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and the Seafood Development Programme (SDP). The SDP is funded by the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation. The purpose of the Programme is to encourage seafood companies to group together on a North/South basis by offering quality market research information and intelligence for the development of export markets. With three companies from the North and eleven companies out of the fourteen present from the peace region, (12 northern counties) World Food Moscow was truly cross border.

In terms of business opportunities Russia is proving a lucrative market to tap into. This is due to 3 main reasons:

Economic Growth: Russia has seen five straight years of strong economic growth and increasing consumer incomes have contributed to a surge in domestic demand for seafood with imports reaching $377 million in 2002, an increase of nearly 40% within 5 years.

EU Enlargement and the Elimination of Tariff Barriers: A number of states who historically acted as a gateway for seafood exports to the Russian market joined the EU in 2004, opening up the Russian market. This, coupled with the recent entry of Russia into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) further facilitates trade.

Change in Buyer Behavior Patterns: As well as a growing natural preference for healthy food options such as fish, changes in economics have created a greater demand for variety and diversity in the market. A growing convenience food market has also created the need for high quality inputs which creates opportunities for Irish seafood exporters.

In response to this Irish exhibitors endeavoured to offer as wide a range of quality species as possible. In addition to the pelagic species such as Herring and Mackerel which are familiar to the Russian market, lesser known products such as Scampi, Whole Prawns, Crab and Mussels were on show.

Mr Jarlath Morris, Project Manager of Seafood Development commented, "EU enlargement and the opening up of the Russian market is presenting many new possibilities for Irish seafood exporters. We are hopeful that this visit will create new opportunities for our exporting companies."

A highlight of the show was when Mr Noel Treacy T.D, Minister of State for the Department of Agriculture and Food, paid a visit to the stand on the second day of the show. Mr Treacy spent some time with the processors and later gave an informative speech promoting the export of Irish food to Russia at a reception organised by BIM and Bord Bia.

The general feeling from those who exhibited at the show is that they recognise that the Russian market will take time and perseverance to break. However it is a market which is well worth the effort and they will certainly consider returning at a later date to build on the contacts already generated.

For further information on the SDP programme please contact one of the staff at Greencastle Tel: 00 353 74 93 81 044.