Terrorist Attacks Can’t Stop Business.
AgraKepak meeting with NH Foods UK during the Seafood Expo in Brussels, from left to right are, Andrew Agnew – AgraKepak, Emily Tan – NH Foods UK, Kevin Ruane – AgraKepak, Kevin Mimura – NH Foods UK.
AgraKepak recently attended the Seafood Expo Global held in Brussels, Belgium, from 26th-28th April 2016. More than 1600 exhibitors attended the Exposition. Due to the recent terrorist attacks in Brussels on March 22nd visitor numbers were noticeably down on previous years, with some exhibitors choosing not to attend the show and others bringing fewer staff.
The Expo represents a great opportunity for AgraKepak to meet with our supply partners from all over the world.
From an Irish perspective Bord Bia and 19 Irish Seafood companies attended the Expo. The Irish exhibitors represent the full spectrum of species available from Ireland including shellfish, whitefish, pelagic and fin fish in a range of formats including live, chilled, canned, frozen and smoked.
In 2015, Irish seafood was exported to over 70 markets worldwide, with a total value of €570 million, an increase of 77% since 2009. While the EU, namely France, Spain, UK, Italy and Germany, continues to be Ireland’s key export destination, accounting for over 55% of total exports, over 20% of seafood exports are now destined for African countries. Prospects for export growth in 2016 remain broadly positive with companies focusing their new market development efforts in Asia and the United States.