The companies are travelling to the Seafood Expo Global 2014 to help establish international trade links and boost their exports by taking their produce to an audience of 25,000 seafood retailers, distributors, wholesalers, caterers, importers and processors.
The Lobster Pot, Thomas Shellfish, Bangor Mussel Producers, Selwyns Penclawdd Seafoods, Anglesey Aquaculture, W M Shellfish and The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company will showcase their world-class produce on the Welsh Government’s Food and Drink Wales pavilion, with the Welsh Government covering half of the companies’ costs of attending the Expo.
Alun Davies said: “The Seafood Expo is a fantastic global marketplace, attracting buyers and sellers from over 145 countries looking to sample some of the best seafood in the world.
“Welsh seafood is top quality and I am sure that the 25,000 attendees will be impressed by the vast range of premium seafood on display at the Food and Drink Wales pavilion, including sustainably-farmed sea bass, queen scallops, lobster, cockles, mussels and laverbread.”
The fisheries industry is an important contributor to Wales’s coastal economy, with an estimated value of £30 million each year. The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring the continued and sustainable growth of this valuable industry and that is why the Minister launched Wales’s first Marine and Fisheries Strategic Action Plan last November.
The action plan sets out how the Welsh Government will continue to work in partnership with the industry to help fishing businesses prosper. As well as simplifying administrative procedures and improving the management of fisheries, the action plan aims to double Wales’s annual aquaculture production by 2020.
The Minister added: “I am working hard to ensure that Wales has a vibrant and sustainable fisheries industry that we can all benefit from and be proud of.
“Welsh fish and sea-food is already well recognised and respected and I am keen to do all I can to raise the profile and reputation of Welsh food internationally to help open up new markets right across the globe.”
