More than 7,700 tonnes of Irish strawberries will be picked between now and the end of August, supporting over 1000 jobs.

“Strawberry production is one of the real success stories in Irish horticulture with a very strong market for the high-quality fruit produced by Irish growers,” Junior Minister for agriculture Andrew Doyle said at the launch of National Strawberry week on Pat Clarke’s farm, Co Meath.

Bord Bia

The strawberry is the most popular soft fruit eaten in Ireland, according to Bord Bia. In 2016 output at farm gate level for the Irish soft fruit sector was valued at an estimated €38m with strawberries accounting for over 90% of this.

Doyle and IFA president Joe Healy encouraged consumers to check the country of origin label when purchasing strawberries this summer.

“Although Irish strawberries are synonymous with the Irish summer, growers have made sizable investments on their farms to extend the production season. Fresh fruit is now available to the Irish consumer from April right through to November,” Healy said. The IFA is actively involved in the monitoring of proper labelling of fruit both on retail shelves and in road-side sales.

He added that Ireland’s 100 strawberry growers produce a crop worth €45m at the farm gate. When road sales of strawberries are included the annual retail value of the industry exceeds €100m.

“The recent increase in wage costs is very significant in this labour-intensive industry where labour accounts for almost 50% of the costs of production,” Healy said. “Sourcing of suitable labour, particularly for the picking of strawberries, is also now proving a problem due to the availability of other employment opportunities in the economy.”

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