“We are known as ‘the Green Isle,’” Andrew Doyle, Irish Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, told The Korea Herald in an interview.

“As a small island located on the western seaboard of Europe, 53 degrees north, the Gulf Stream and its warm air flow from the Gulf of Mexico present Ireland with a climate suitable for agriculture and greens.”

Doyle highlighted that every animal has a carbon navigator, which measures the carbon footprint of the food being produced. As the only country with such a system, customers can calculate carbon dioxide emissions from the milk or meat they consume.

“From an environmental point of view, we have the most efficient and transparent system in the world,” he added, referring to the country’s sustainable food production and management.

“Our label ‘Origin Green’ is from the food marketing board and based on producing safe, sustainable and secure food that is traceable all the way back to the farmer.”

The island nation has the highest water quality, rural environmental standard and biodiversity in Europe, as verified by international bodies such as the European Commission, according to Paul McNally, private secretary to the minister.

The delegation -- comprising department officials, the Irish Marketing Board, the Irish Food Board and Enterprise Ireland representatives -- seeks to increase the export of beef, pork, salmon and mussels, among other items, to Korea, Doyle said.

“We are particularly focusing on seafood, such as fresh and smoked salmon, crab and lobster, which are increasingly popular in Korea” Irish Ambassador Aingeal O’Donoghue said. “Irish farmhouse cheese, porridge and whelk (sea snail) are also delicious items to try.”

As the largest net exporter of beef in the northern hemisphere, Ireland sells beef to 175 countries worldwide. The country is also the home of Guinness beer and Jameson whiskey. 

“The Scots may claim whiskey as theirs with the single malt, but we were the first to distill it,” the minister said, noting some craft distilleries are making a visible presence in Korea.

Regarding Ireland’s rapid economic recovery, which recorded 8 percent growth last year, Doyle underlined that the agricultural industry played a critical part in it. It has extensively collaborated with the Irish Food Board, the Health Research Board, Enterprise Ireland and diplomatic missions worldwide to promote business.

“Our agricultural and drink exports reached 11 billion euros ($12.3 billion) last year up from 6 billion euros in 2009,” he said. “We aim to reach 19 billion euros by 2025.”

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)