Around 100 local food and drink producers will feature in the colourful Food NI Food Pavilion at the upcoming Royal Ulster Agricultural Show (RUAS) at the Eikon Centre, Balmoral Park.

Participants in the award-winning Food Pavilion will reflect the outstanding success of what has become Northern Ireland’s biggest single industry that contributes upwards of £8 billion annually to the local economy, especially to rural communities, and one that exports to around 60 countries across the globe.

Stalls in the pavilion, among the most popular at the show, will feature award-winning artisan enterprises along with small and large-scale producers. There are still spaces left for local producers. In addition, local food and drink will be highlighted in a programme of cookery demonstrations by many of Northern Ireland’s leading chefs.

placeholder image — Kevin and Julie Hickey of award-winning Dart Mountain Cheese in Dungiven

The four-day show, which takes place from May 13 to 16, is the biggest event of its type in Britain and Ireland. It attracts trade visitors and buyers from many parts of Europe and has been a feature of agri-food here for almost 160 years.

Food NI’s Lindsay Lyttle Curran says the showcase puts our food and drink at the heart of the show: “It’s a place to connect: a meeting point for producers, sponsors, buyers, and government representatives – and a great place to catch up with old friends and make new ones. We offer a range of stand sizes and costs, so there’s space for every producer to get involved

“The pavilion isn’t just an exhibition space – it’s a shared celebration of the people, passion, and produce that make Northern Ireland’s food and drink industry so special.”

Among this year’s local exhibitors are Alastair Bell of Portrush’s Irish Black Butter, Mervyn Kennedy of Kennedy Bacon in Omagh, and Mark Douglas, better known as Krazibaker, from Dromore, Co Down, who bakes traditional Irish breads such as potato, soda and wheaten on site during the show, and Dart Mountain Cheese from Dungiven

“I wouldn’t miss Balmoral Show. It’s simply the best event of its kind and a great way to reach thousands of potential customers. Of course, standing behind a stall for four days is tiring but very worthwhile in terms of business,” says Alastair Bell, the businessman behind the multi-award-winning Irish Black Butter, now a regular at Balmoral.

Mervyn Kennedy agrees: “Balmoral is a terrific event that provides huge opportunities to talk to consumers and to do business with our bacon, ham and sausages. I’ll be showcasing my new smashed bacon grills for the first time and hoping to do good business with many of the thousands of visitors to the pavilion."

Krazibaker has found Balmoral “a great platform” to talk to visitors about his favourite Northern Irish breads.

“People regularly ask me to talk them through what it takes to produce potato bread, sodas and wheaten sides. I am always happy to show them how I make them fresh and warm. The best way to enjoy them,” explains Mark.

Kevin Hickey of Dart Mountain Cheese says the show is “a tremendous business opportunity that enables us to sample our range of cheese with thousands of customers”.

The role of food and drink in strengthening community health and economic prosperity will also be highlighted in the Food NI Food Pavilion at this year’s show.

A central theme of the show will be the Northern Ireland Food Strategy Framework Action Plan 2025-2027 which will be also highlighted. It was originally launched by Farm Minister Andrew Muir at last year’s show.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) food strategy framework was followed by the unveiling of the Action Plan, a two-year initiative designed to transform the local food system into “a more sustainable, resilient, and healthy model. It contains 39 actions focusing on environmental sustainability, health, food poverty, and economic prosperity across the supply chain.”

Both strategy and action plan emphasise that collaboration is vital.

The action plan focuses on:

Vision: A transformed food system providing safe, nourishing, accessible food while protecting natural resources.

Duration: 2025–2027, aligning with the Programme for Government and ministerial mandates.

The Key priorities are:

Health and Food: Building connections between food, health, and wellbeing.

Sustainability: Enhancing natural resources and supporting eco-friendly practices.

Economy: Developing sustainable economic prosperity within the agri-food sector.

Society: Reducing food poverty and improving food education. Continuing collaboration to ensure the success of the plan is a central theme

underpinning DAERA’s. approach. Increasing awareness of the strategy and plan has been a focus of activities over the past year.

The action plan serves as “the initial phase of a longer-term strategy aimed at 2030 and beyond, aiming to address the need for a greener and more resilient food system,” according to DAERA.

Minister Andrew Muir has said: “It represents a new ‘whole of government’ approach around food, recognising the interconnection between food, health, the economy and the environment.”