Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (NI), Edwin Poots, has visited the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh to meet with his Scottish counterpart and to support the NI food companies exhibiting at the event.
Celebrating its 200th year, the annual Royal Highland Show, which is very similar to the Balmoral Show, showcases the finest displays of Scotland’s livestock, machinery, produce, equine and countryside pursuits.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has provided funding to allow Food NI to take a number of local food companies to the four-day show to showcase their produce and to meet with major retailers.
Commenting, Minister Poots said: “I am delighted to be able to visit the Royal Highland Show and to support the Northern Ireland exhibitors attending it.
“My department is actively involved in supporting our agri-food industry in the promotion of our high-quality and award-winning local produce and this event is just one example of that.
“We have an agri-food industry that we all should be proud off with high quality, sustainability and a great reputation, so I am hopeful that these food companies will do a great job in promoting the sector as well as increasing their sales and finding new major buyers.
The minister commended Food NI for its efforts in the promotion of NI produce at similar agricultural events and in the development of the ‘Our Food. The Power of Good’ promotional campaign.
While there, Minister Poots also met with Minister for Environment and Land Reform, Mairi McAllan MSP and talked about common issues facing the agri-sector and the need to support rural shows such as these following the pandemic.
Minister Poots also reminded local agricultural shows that the deadline to apply for funding from the £200,000 bounce-back scheme is June 30, 2022.
