Fresh and frozen pork exports for the first three quarters of the year stand at 139,100t, with largest growth coming from exports to China which are up 79% to 38,600t over the period.

However, growth has slowed in recent months, with exports back 1% year-on-year in the third quarter. Bethan Wilkins from AHDB states that growth in the expanding Chinese market stagnated in the third quarter.

“Shipments to Denmark, likely for re-export to the far east, were up sharply during the first half of the year, but deteriorated to a year-on-year drop of 23% in the latest three months. Meanwhile, shipments to Germany, which largely consist of carcases, were below 2015 levels,” she said.

UK market

Irish pork exports to the UK were up 6% at 44,000t over the first three quarters of the year and continued to grow throughout the period, even with weakening of sterling against the euro following the Brexit vote. “This was likely influenced by the reduced production of pig meat in the UK,” Wilkins said.

Although Irish export growth has slowed, sources indicate that it is hoped that reduced production in the EU and globally will keep prices here stable. Figures from the AHDB show that 500,000t of pork was traded in May this year by the four main global pork exporting regions. However, this reduced sharply to 440,000t each month over the third quarter.

Pig prices reported to IFA w/c 18/11/2016

Unit for 15,000 pigs receives planning approval in Antrim

Irish pork exports increase by 13%

Exports of Irish pork are up 13% over the first nine months of 2016 compared with the same period last year, latest figures from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) indicate.