Cantillon: Bord Bia to attend Moscow food show amid East-West freeze

Bord Bia will attend Russia’s largest food industry event next month amid the ongoing freeze in East-West relations and the Russian food import ban.

The agency intends to exhibit its wares at the four-day WorldFood Moscow event – as it has done in previous years.

It's not alone in wanting keep a toehold in one of the fastest-growing food markets in the world. Organisers claim attendance hasn't been affected by the political climate, with strong presence from Western Europe expected.

Irish food exports to Russia had been on something of an uptick before the ban effectively closed the market last year. They were worth about €230 million in 2013 but fell 30 per cent to €145 million last year. Official figures are expected to reveal an even sharper contraction this year.

While the ban has been a key factor in depressing dairy prices globally, perhaps the worst-hit sector here has been pigmeat, which accounted for about a sixth of total exports to Russia, about €59 million in value terms, before the ban.

"Since the ban, Bord Bia, along with Irish food exporters, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the embassy network of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have worked together to identify alternative markets for the product previously destined for Russia," Bord Bia said.

“While this strategy has mitigated the worst effects of the ban, Russia remains a priority market for us and we are maintaining contact with key buyers to ensure a resumption of trade when the ban is eventually lifted.”

In any case, there’s little sign of the ban, which is officially in place until August 5th, 2016, being lifted, with positions on both sides appearing to harden.

Earlier this month, Russian TV showed quantities of illegally imported European cheese being bulldozed while workers threw boxes of European bacon into an incinerator.