Northern Irish dairy export drive to reach £7 million

Sales of almost £4 million for dairy products from Northern Ireland companies were achieved over the past two years from a major marketing initiative part funded by the European Union.

The three-year marketing drive is being spearheaded by the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland (DCNI) is on target to reach £7 million. The objective is to support local companies keen to grow exports.

The initiative generated business worth £2.2 million last year. This figure follows £1.6 million the year before.

The DCNI programme, 50 percent EU funded, was launched in 2015 to support Northern Ireland dairy sales across the Middle East and South East Asia. A key element of the campaign is bringing buyers to Northern Ireland to visit dairy farms and processing plants. Over the first two years of the initiative 44 buyers from nine countries have visited Northern Ireland. The sales covered a range of products including powders.

Dr Mike Johnston, DCNI chief executive, says: "This programme is about helping Northern Ireland dairy companies to identify new customers in the target regions and to do business with them. Year 2 again exceeded all expectations and that it did do in the midst of very difficult trading conditions is particularly commendable. The sales achieved represent a tremendous success for this important industry.

"The figures are already almost treble the three-year target of £2.3 million., which, in itself represented a return on investment of 4:1 The level of sales generated so far represents a return on Year 1 and Year 2 budgets of 16:1 on the total investment and of course of 32:1.

"The programme has allowed Northern Ireland dairy companies to increase understanding of their professionalism and efficiency of the industry abroad and to turn this into sales," he adds.

Each of the inward missions, which have seen 21 visitors from nine countries in Year 2, have included presentations by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Enterprise, CAFRE, the Food Standards Agency and tThe Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's University Belfast.