Speaking from the floor at the Irish Farmers Journal global trade conference, Crean said there is a world of change occurring at the moment.

“It is important for people in the room to understand that businesses make their decisions in a longer term view,” Crean said. “There’s a body of work being done over many years to deepen the understanding that brands like McDonald’s have of the Irish agri food sector, and why it is a bit different and why it stands apart.”

He cited the work that Origin Green has been doing and how McDonald’s brought its global leadership team to Ireland to experience that themselves.

Crean’s advice is to focus on markets and build relationships.

“The focus on markets is incredibly important,” he said, echoing the sentiment expressed by Aidan O’Driscoll from the Department of Agriculture. “At the same time it is as important, if not more important, to focus on your customer and who they are. Get to know them and that relationship opens opportunities into those markets.”

Meeting with agri-business

Crean said he recently met with Dawn, the Kerry group and Greencore; all of them are focused on the customer, aligning and deepening that relationship.

Two of our largest beef players have put permanent staff on the ground in the US and they don’t make investments like that lightly

“That opens up a breadth of opportunities. Brands and businesses like McDonald’s have a long-term view, with assured long-term supply.”

The Department of Agriculture’s focus is somewhat similar, increasing the number of trade missions to new markets.

“Two of our largest beef players have put permanent staff on the ground in the US and they don’t make investments like that lightly, they see potential there,” the Department’s Aidan O’Driscoll said. “We are way ahead of every other EU country in China. Things are moving at a much faster pace than they have been up to this point.”

Chief executive of ABP Frank Stephenson confirmed that they are “one of the companies that have invested boots on the ground, we do see potential there”.

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