Bord Bia has launched a dairy campaign in Thailand as part of the Irish government’s first ever agri-food trade mission to the country. The Thailand leg of the European Dairy – Ireland, Working with Nature campaign was launched in Bangkok and promotes dairy from Ireland in South East Asia. It is part of a wider three-year campaign targeting thousands of South East Asian and Japanese dairy buyers.
Launching the campaign’s dairy seminar, Minister of state at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett, said she was very pleased to see Ireland at the forefront of marketing campaigns aimed at building the profile of European dairy in both Thailand and Vietnam, which are both priority markets for Irish food and drink exports.
“Bord Bia was selected by the European Commission to promote European dairy from Ireland in Southeast Asia and Japan for a three-year period in recognition of the grass-fed and sustainable nature of Irish dairy production,” she said. “There is growing demand in Thailand and Vietnam, and as a result of the €3.2 million campaign investment, Irish dairy exports are forecast to grow to nearly €60 million in South East Asia by 2025.”
Irish dairy exports to Thailand were last year valued at €55 million, making up over 95% of the value of total Irish food and drink exports to the country. Both Vietnam and Thailand have been identified as high priority growth markets for Irish food and drink, as laid out in Bord Bia’s 2024 market prioritisation report. The three-year dairy campaign has also seen Asian buyers from Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines visit Irish dairy farms and processers. These campaigns are funded jointly by Bord Bia and the European Commission.
Declan Fennell, Bord Bia’s Senior Manager of EU co-funded campaigns said the campaign is the perfect opportunity to showcase Ireland’s world-renowned dairy industry to South East Asia customers.
“Promoting dairy campaigns with the EU gives Ireland immediate access to some of Thailand’s top dairy buyers and affords us an opportunity to show Ireland as a best-in-class example of EU dairy,” he said. “We do this by communicating the tangible benefits of Ireland’s national sustainability programme, Origin Green, our grass-based farming systems and family-run farms.”
Ireland’s dairy exports are the largest single element of total food and drink exports with over 1.7 million tonnes of product shipped globally to over 130 markets each year.
Bord Bia’s Future of Dairy in South East Asia report shows that the population of South East Asia is predicted to grow by a further 100 million by 2050, with 20% of this set to be over the age of 65. It notes that South East Asia will continue to rely on dairy imports in coming years and that domestic production levels will remain low.
