SIAL opened this Sunday and will run for five days, with 160,000 food buyers from more than 100 countries expected to visit the show. Four Irish companies are nominated for innovation awards to be announced in Paris this week.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed will visit the biennial exhibition on Monday and he stressed the importance of market diversification in the context of Brexit. "Today companies, especially those heavily dependent on the UK market, are looking further afield and the record attendance of Irish exporters at this year's SIAL, up one-third on 2014, is proof that they have identified the challenges around Brexit and are actively looking at other routes to market where necessary," Minister Creed said in a statement.

Bord Bia will also accompany a group of Irish companies on a market study visit in France during the show.

Stay tuned to farmersjournal.ie and this week's Irish Farmers Journal for reports from SIAL.

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According to Bord Bia, a record number of Irish companies are exhibiting at the Salon International de l'Alimentation (SIAL) trade show in Paris this week.