Bord Bia staff at its Dubai office are "sheltering in place while working from home" as Iranian drone and missile strikes continue.

According to a spokesperson for Bord Bia, its staff in Dubai are following the advice from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.

The spokesperson said: "The office continues to carry out its functions and is in close contact with exporters doing business in the region.

"The uncertainty caused by recent events is likely to impact business confidence and investment in the region".

Dubai

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee earlier today (Monday, March 2) called a meeting of the Government Trade Forum.

Minister McEntee said the government's focus "remains on assisting Irish citizens" in cities and countries across the Middle East, including Dubai, but it is also "carefully following the potential economic and trade impacts that may arise from the instability in the region".

"It is too soon to tell what this will mean for Ireland but we have significant exports to the region itself and it is also of course a major global business and transit hub for goods and energy products," the minister added.

Last month the Minister of State with responsibility for Food Promotion, New Markets, Research and Development, Noel Grealish had led an agri-food trade mission to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in collaboration with Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland.

According to latest Bord Bia estimates, Irish food and drink exports to the Gulf region reached €370 million in 2025 - which represented a year-on-year increase of 7.5%.

This growth was primarily driven by dairy exports - which increased by 7% to €315 million and prepared consumer foods which saw its market share grow by 17% to €26.8 million.