Visit serves to highlight the Company's strong relationship with Canada
MONAGHAN COUNTY, Ireland, Oct. 4, 2013 /CNW/ - Canada's Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Gerry Ritz made a special visit to the headquarters of Monaghan Mushrooms in Monaghan, Ireland earlier today. The Minister is currently in Europe promoting the potential benefits of a Canada-European Trade Agreement to both countries' agriculture industries. The world-leading producer of mushrooms has a special relationship with Canada, as its largest mushroom farm is located in Campbellville, Ontario employing over 400 local residents of the area.
"I was pleased to get a first-hand look at the state-of-the-art facility here at Monaghan Mushrooms," said Minister Ritz. "Monaghan Mushrooms is a major employer in both Canada and Ireland, and is an excellent example of the integrated nature of agriculture in our two countries."
The mushroom sector in Canada employs 3,600 people, producing 97,000 tons with a total value of $284,000,000. The Campbellville, Ontario facility is the largest mushroom farm in Canada and the largest farm in the Monaghan Group; with production capacity of 650,000 lbs of mushrooms per week. Monaghan exports $10,500,000(CDN) worth of mushrooms from Canada to the United States each year, predominately to California, Michigan and Washington State.
"We were delighted to host Minister Ritz at our facilities here in Ireland, given the investments we have made in Canada and the special relationship shared between our two countries," stated CEO and Founder of Monaghan Mushrooms, Ronnie Wilson. "Canada is a country of wonderful opportunities for our industry with consumption in Canada being relatively low when compared to international levels, and to see that recognized by the Minister with a visit to our home is a tremendous acknowledgement."
Monaghan Mushrooms was founded in 1981 by R.C. Wilson and employs around 4,000 people worldwide. The world-leading producer of mushrooms is owned and operated by the Wilson Family and the Donegal Investment Group and has operations in six countries (CAN, UK, IRL, BEL, GER & NL).
Image with caption: "Canada's Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Paul Wilson, COO of Monaghan Mushrooms. (CNW Group/Monaghan Mushrooms)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20131004_C7408_PHOTO_EN_31710.jpg
SOURCE: Monaghan Mushrooms
Melissa Wood
NATIONAL Public Relations
Tel: 613-233-1699 ext. 6229
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