The Minister for Trade and Commerce, Billy Kelleher TD, today (Monday 13th September 2010) leads a high-profile sales drive of 11 Irish farm machinery firms in a trade visit to France organised by Enterprise Ireland.
The firms will exhibit their machinery in Rennes at France’s leading livestock and agricultural equipment trade show, SPACE. Ireland has the largest exhibition of farm machinery at the trade show bar French firms.
The Irish firms on the trade mission have a cumulative turnover of over €250 million and exports account for more than 60pc of sales including €23 million to France. Some have been in the French market for over a decade while others are new market-entrants.
Two firms will be presented with awards at the show - Tanco Autowrap for its bale shear and Dromone for its pick-up hitch.
‘The SPACE trade show is a platform for Irish agricultural machinery firms to showcase their products and technologies and, in particular, to demonstrate their levels of innovation,’ said Minister Kelleher.
- France is the third-largest export market for Enterprise Ireland client firms.
- Last year, total exports to France by some 500 Irish firms totalled €593 million.
- Projections for this year already show an improvement on that performance.
Over 50 French multinational firms are based here spanning manufacturing, research and innovation, technology support, electronics and financial services.
More than five times as many Irish-owned firms established a presence in France last year compared to 2007.
Minister Kelleher will travel to Paris to meet Anne-Marie Idrac, Secretary of State for External Trade in the Ministry for the Economy, Industry and Employment, to discuss strengthening bilateral trade between Ireland and France.
He will also meet Jean-Yves Le Drian, President of the Regional Council of Brittany, to discuss Breton-Irish links.
Minister Kelleher will be guest of honour at a reception of members of the new Franco-Irish business network, Network Irlande, established this year following a Farmleigh-inspired initiative to develop Franco-Irish business networking.
ENDS
List of 11 Irish companies travelling to France
Company | Country |
| Dairymaster | Co Kerry |
| Dairypower | Co Cork |
| Dromone | Co Meath |
| Hi-Spec Engineering | Co Carlow |
| JFC Manufacturing | Co Galway |
| Keenan | Co Carlow |
| LSM Engineering | Co Laois |
| McHale | Co Mayo |
| O'Donovan Engineering | Co Cork |
| SAMCO | Co Limerick |
| Tanco Autowrap | Co Carlow |
For further information contact
 | Ciara O'Mahony, Press Officer, Enterprise Ireland
Tel: + 353 1 7272284 |