Ireland: Irish shellfish crack open Chinese market.

Storyline Irish shellfish crack open Chinese market Achill Island - a pearl of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. There are more sheep than people here.... its unspoilt nature making it the perfect place to farm shellfish. Hugh and Fiona O'Malley founded Achill Oysters together in 2014. Hugh O'Malley, Co-founder, Achill Oysters: "The oysters are the best in the world because of clean water. We're there at the beginning of a river and the river brings us all these nutrients off the hills. We have an exchange of water every single day." Fiona O'Malley, Co-founder, Achill Oysters: (Reporter: So Fiona they go from this tiny little fella to a fully grown oyster in about three and a half years. Is that right?) "Absolutely. So we buy them in this tiny size. We put them into these bags. And as the tide comes in and out, it feeds the oyster." Ken Browne, Reporter: "It doesn't get any fresher than this on the beach in Ireland. But these can go from the sea here in Achill Island to the table in China in less than 36 hours. That is unbelievable." Hugh O'Malley hails from five generations of an Achill fishing family and made a massive career change from big tech to aqua tech - now they have 16 people on the payroll. Shucking the Chinese market has been a game-changer. Hugh O'Malley, Co-founder, Achill Oysters: "So when we started doing business in China, it trebled our market immediately. We went from producing relatively small batches to local restaurants, to, all of a sudden putting two and a half tonne on a plane out to China." But storm clouds could be gathering. Chad Huang, Managing Director, Jade Aviation: "The jet fuel is double the price and much worse than the diesel and the petrol for cars, so Ireland are facing a crazy crisis at this moment. Resilience, however, is another thing that grows well in the west of Ireland. Hugh O'Malley, Co-founder, Achill Oysters: "We've pressures with jet fuel, we've pressures in logistics, but because we have a lot of different options, going direct to China, bouncing through the Middle East. There's always a way to get our product onto the table in a timely fashion. Around here they say rough seas make better oysters. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]