USSEC and the Irish Grain and Feed Association jointly organized a USSEC Soy Trade Country Meeting in Dublin on April 27. Participants represented various parts of the Irish soy value chain (importers, feed compounders and poultry producers) as well as the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the U.S. Embassy. Speakers covered bilateral economic and trade relations, including the ongoing TTIP negotiations; the current global and local market conditions for soy products; the U.S. Sustainable Soy Assurance Protocol (SSAP); and nutrition aspects of soybean meal.

Ireland is dependent upon imports for feed protein needs, importing 76,000 metric tons of U.S. soybean meal so far this marketing year.   With the elimination of EU production quotas on milk, the Irish dairy industry is heavily investing in expanding production and developing new markets, particularly in Asia. Along with increased diversification to more pork and poultry production, Ireland will be an increasingly important market for U.S. soy exports in the coming years.