Bord Bia Brexit prepared and ready for increased UK sales

A new report from Irish Trade Board Bord Bia shows that 91% of Irish food and drink companies have made progress in relation to Brexit preparedness over the last year and are gearing up to make the UK a priority for sales.

For Irish companies continuing to operate in the UK, 55% said that growing sales within the UK market will be a priority while the remaining 45% of companies plan on maintaining sales. This is up from 36% and 41% respectively in 2019.

Findings from the Bord Bia 2020 Readiness Radar show that customer relationships have progressed to more commercially focused conversations focusing on future contract arrangements in the post-transition period, custom duties and the importer of record being identified.

Shane Hamill, Bord Bia’s strategic projects manager, said: “Covid-19 has been the catalyst for Irish food and drink companies to realise how robust their plans are for Brexit, and what is clearly evident is the resilience and determination of the Irish food industry to meet market challenges, with an increased eagerness to evolve conversations with UK customers on key issues relating to supply chain logistics.”

37% of Irish food and drink is exported to the UK, amounting to trade worth £4.95b in 2019, as it continues to be the single most important market across almost all food categories.

The Bord Bia Readiness Radar, launched in March this year is an online risk diagnostic tool developed to assess industry thinking and performance around a number of priority challenges, which include Covid-19, Brexit, challenges to market diversification, sustainability pressures, consumer insights and innovation, and talent management.

You can download the full report here