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The
Northern Ireland Agri Food Sector
The Agri-Food sector in Northern Ireland is one of the
most important contributors to the Northern Ireland
economy in terms of revenue and employment and is
Northern Ireland’s largest manufacturing industry. In
2009 the industry was worth £3.2billion and exports grew
by an impressive 27% to £876million (2008).
Nearly two thirds of food and drink from Northern
Ireland is now bought by retailers and food service
organisations in other parts of the UK and increasingly
further afield.
Buyers in virtually all the leading grocery retailers,
including Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Waitrose and Morrisons,
now look regularly to Northern Ireland for a broad range
of fresh, frozen, chilled and processed products, from
fresh meat, dairy and bakery to ready meals, convenience
foods. Niche products are also to be found in the food
halls at Harrods, Fortnum and Mason, Liberty and Harvey
Nichols.
Northern Ireland’s reputation as a source of quality
foods is also spreading worldwide. Wal-Mart, Safeway,
Carrefour, Auchan, SuperCor, Spinneys, Mercadona are
among a growing list of international retailers shopping
regularly in the region. Dutch supermarket chain Albert
Heijn is a longstanding customer particularly for beef
and lamb from Northern Ireland farms.
The region can point justifiably to a great many success
stories – red meat being bought by Europe’s top
retailers; cheese and tea going to the US; porridge oats
to the Arabian Gulf and Hong Kong; dried fruit and nut
snacks to Singapore, Dubai, the Netherlands and
Switzerland; pork sausages, health foods and toasted
oats to Spain; milk powder to China, Africa and Central
America; coffee to the US, Saudi Arabia and North
Africa; potato crisps to Australia; and dry cured bacon
to Belgium.
About Invest NI (Northern Ireland Naturally)
Invest Northern Ireland, the region’s main economic
development agency, has a dedicated Food Division which
delivers fully integrated and responsive services to
over 300 local food and drink companies including advice
on account management, design, product development,
packaging, supply chain and productivity.
Practical support schemes range from assistance to
export through trade missions and exhibitions and ‘meet
the buyer’ events with key buyers in both food retailing
and food services to business development programmes
including help to companies in achieving essential
quality accreditations demanded by major retailers.
Among the most successful initiatives is the Food Sector
Marketing Advisers scheme that is helping Northern
Ireland companies increase business in GB and
international markets.
Four Food Sector Marketing Advisers utilise market
knowledge and their network of contacts to assist local
companies pinpoint and secure new orders by brokering
face-to-face interviews between the companies and food
retailers including multiple chains and organisations
supplying restaurants, hotels, cafes and canteens. They
also
co-ordinate Invest NI’s programme of ‘meet the buyer’
events. These events have brought key buyers from Great
Britain, the Republic of Ireland, other parts of Europe,
the US and India to Northern Ireland for one-to-one
meetings with local food companies.
www.buynifood.com – Invest NI’s dedicated food and drink
web site features over 200 Northern Ireland food and
drink companies across a range of sectors including
Baked Goods, Confectionery, Dairy, Dried Goods, Drink,
Fish, Food Service Providers, Fresh Produce, Meat and
Non Food.
Invest NI’s Food and Drink Sector Tendering Programme
and alert service has been designed to encourage and
assist local food and drink companies to compete more
effectively for substantial public sector contracts in
the RoI. As well as business in the Republic and Great
Britain, the marketing initiative is now yielding orders
from the US.
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Ballyrashane Co-op
Ballyrashane Co-op was founded in 1896 and is Ireland’s
oldest registered Farmers Co-operative Creamery still in
operation. In addition to a range of own branded
products, (dairy products including milk, cream, butter,
buttermilk & Regato cheese), Ballyrashane Co-Op provides
leading retailers with a range of retailer branded
products e.g. Spar, Vivo, M&S. Butter & Cheese are also
exported on a world-wide basis.
Dale Farm is one of the UK’s leading dairy processors
and part of the United Dairy Farmers Group, a leading UK
dairy co-operative owned by 1900 member farmers who
supply it with over 1 billion litres of milk per year.
Dale Farm produces a wide portfolio of consumer products
and food ingredients which are made across 5
manufacturing centres in the UK. The Company, who has
won numerous awards for its products and sales, exports
world wide to over 42 countries.
Within the UK & Ireland, Dale Farm supplies a wide range
of dairy products into the retail and foodservice
sectors under its own brands – Dale Farm and Dromona.
The company also provides a broad range of retailer own
brand products.
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