The week of September 7th – 11th 2014 saw Enterprise Ireland Canada host a market study visit for six of our finest agri-tech clients. The objective of the visit was to increase knowledge of the agricultural industry in Canada and to evaluate opportunities for Irish companies in the Canadian agri-tech market.

The agricultural sector in Canada contributes $100BN annually to Canadian GDP and Canada is the 5th largest agricultural exporter in the world. The largest agricultural production sectors include: dairy, grain & oilseeds and red meat (livestock). Canada has 12,529 dairy farms with almost 1 million cows and industry programs are in place to evaluate and improve dairy cattle. Quebec and Ontario are the major dairy producing provinces with 49% and 32% of the farms respectively. There are 12.6M beef cattle in Canada which produce approximately 1.6 BN kg of beef annually. A large portion of the farm machinery purchased for Canadian farms each year, including combines, are imported.

Ontario is Canada’s most productive province, generating 35.6% of the country’s GDP. Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show hosted in Woodstock, Ontario is an international affair with farmers travelling from afar to see the latest agricultural technologies in action. Last year there were over 42,000 attendees with 700+ exhibitors. The Outdoor Farm Show provides opportunities to visit displays specializing in livestock, field & horticulture crops, equipment and forestry, with a special focus on demonstrations of dairy equipment. This year there was also an International Business Centre for the first time which was of great value to the Irish delegates for meetings.

Irish company exports to Canada have grown by 74% in the last five years. The similarities in language, culture and commercial practices make Canada an attractive place to do business. As a result, client companies McHale Engineering, Irish Custom Extruders (Comfort Slat Mats), Softtrace, Athlone Extrusions, Crowley Engineering and Dairymaster all decided to take part in this study visit.

The packed itinerary covered; a morning with representatives from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), Dairy Farmers of Ontario, and the Canada East Equipment Dealers Association (CEEDA) who provided an overview of agritech in the Canadian market, a visit to two operating dairy farms in the Guelph region – Summitholm and Hoenhorst Farms, two full days to walk the Outdoor Farm Show, one-to-one dealer and company meetings at the show and a networking event on the Wednesday evening.

http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/Events/Event-Detail/?id=3679