In the first five months of 2024, Irish dairy, sheepmeat and poultry exports have fallen in both volume and value, compared with the same period in 2023. However, it isn’t all bad news, as beef, pigmeat and horticulture/cereals exports all showed an increase in both volume and value when compared with last year. Overall export value, which includes drinks, seafood, prepared consumer foods and other meat produce in addition to the main agrifood categories, was €6.392bn between January and May this year, a 1% increase on the same period in 2023.
As Figure 1 shows, the biggest fall in export value was in dairy, with the category worth some €213m less this year than last year, a fall of 8.6%. This reflects a combination of over 4% less volume exported, as detailed in Figure 2, plus lower market value for the product that was exported.
With sheepmeat, there was an almost 6% drop in export value to the end of May, but this is exclusively accounted for by less product being available. Export volumes fell by almost 16% to 25.5m tonnes, which means that export sales increased in value per kilo compared with last year.
The value of poultry exports fell by 9.6%, with the volume down slightly as well.
The higher cattle kill in the earlier part of this year is reflected in higher beef export volumes, which are up 6.5%, at just under 205,000 tonnes in the five months to the end of May. Beef export value also increased but by just 2.2%, to €1.083bn for the first five months.
The biggest percentage increase for both volume and value in the period was delivered by the horticulture and cereals category, where the value increased by almost a quarter to €127.2m, on a 10.9% increase in volume exported. The big performer within this category was the €27m, or 68% increase, in the value of mushroom exports to €67.4m on volumes, which increased by 5,943 tonnes, or 36%.
Markets
With more beef produced in 2024, all significant export markets showed an increase in volume. The UK remains the main export market, taking 96,664t up to the end of May this year, a 2.2% increase on the same period in 2023.
Sales to the EU were up by 3% to 88,915t, which meant that just under 10% of beef exports went to wider global markets.
The reopening of mainland China hasn’t been reflected in increased sales to that country, though volumes to Hong Kong have more than doubled to just over 3,000t. Volumes to the Philippines are up by 1,914t to 4,643t. The other notable change in beef exports to international markets is the increase in volume to the US, up three-fold to a still small 935t, and Canada, where volumes more than doubled to 1,318t.
Dairy
It was the opposite with dairy, less production meant less volume for exports, but there was also significant movement in export destinations.
The biggest fall in sales was the 38,500t drop in volumes to the UK, of which 33,600t were a drop in cross-border sales to Northern Ireland.
Sales to the EU, however, showed a 9%, or 17,000t, increase to 205,906t and there was an almost 10,000t increase in volumes of Irish dairy exported to Africa in the first five months of the year. What is particularly striking about dairy exports for the period is that the value of sales to every export market declined, with the exception of the 473t which were exported to Oceania, according to the Bord Bia data.
Sheepmeat
Ireland continues to wait for approval to export sheep meat to the US and China, two of the world’s largest importers of the product. Therefore, sales are confined to the UK and EU and with less product produced, volumes exported to all markets were down compared with 2023. France remains the top market taking 7,889t up to the end of May, followed by the UK on 5,506t, with Germany next, taking 3,900t.
Pigmeat, poultry, horticulture and cereals
Despite a 6% drop compared with last year, China remains Ireland’s largest volume market for pigmeat, taking just over 23,000t, followed by the UK on 17,767t. The UK and EU took over 21,000t out of the 27,655t total poultry exports, as is the case with horticulture and cereals, with the UK taking over 120,000t and the EU taking 21,000t out of the total exports of 146,669t.
Comment
It was inevitable that falling milk production in 2024 would be reflected in exports and it is now clear that after a decade of growth, Irish dairy exports have hit their peak.
It will be interesting to observe the full year’s performance compared with the upward trajectory of previous years. As for the other categories of Irish agriculture, movements have been within the normal ebb and flow of trade, though the fall in sheepmeat volumes at a time when markets were particularly strong is a cause for concern.
In brief
Dairy exports down 8.6% in value, 3.9% in volume.Beef exports up 2.2% in value, 6.5% in volume.Sheepmeat down 5.9% value, 15.8% in volume.Pigmeat up 5% in value, 4.3% in volume.Horticulture and cereals up 24.4% in value, 10.9% in volume.Overall food and drink exports January to May €6.392bn, up 1%.
In the first five months of 2024, Irish dairy, sheepmeat and poultry exports have fallen in both volume and value, compared with the same period in 2023. However, it isn’t all bad news, as beef, pigmeat and horticulture/cereals exports all showed an increase in both volume and value when compared with last year. Overall export value, which includes drinks, seafood, prepared consumer foods and other meat produce in addition to the main agrifood categories, was €6.392bn between January and May this year, a 1% increase on the same period in 2023.
As Figure 1 shows, the biggest fall in export value was in dairy, with the category worth some €213m less this year than last year, a fall of 8.6%. This reflects a combination of over 4% less volume exported, as detailed in Figure 2, plus lower market value for the product that was exported.
With sheepmeat, there was an almost 6% drop in export value to the end of May, but this is exclusively accounted for by less product being available. Export volumes fell by almost 16% to 25.5m tonnes, which means that export sales increased in value per kilo compared with last year.
The value of poultry exports fell by 9.6%, with the volume down slightly as well.
The higher cattle kill in the earlier part of this year is reflected in higher beef export volumes, which are up 6.5%, at just under 205,000 tonnes in the five months to the end of May. Beef export value also increased but by just 2.2%, to €1.083bn for the first five months.
The biggest percentage increase for both volume and value in the period was delivered by the horticulture and cereals category, where the value increased by almost a quarter to €127.2m, on a 10.9% increase in volume exported. The big performer within this category was the €27m, or 68% increase, in the value of mushroom exports to €67.4m on volumes, which increased by 5,943 tonnes, or 36%.
Markets
With more beef produced in 2024, all significant export markets showed an increase in volume. The UK remains the main export market, taking 96,664t up to the end of May this year, a 2.2% increase on the same period in 2023.
Sales to the EU were up by 3% to 88,915t, which meant that just under 10% of beef exports went to wider global markets.
The reopening of mainland China hasn’t been reflected in increased sales to that country, though volumes to Hong Kong have more than doubled to just over 3,000t. Volumes to the Philippines are up by 1,914t to 4,643t. The other notable change in beef exports to international markets is the increase in volume to the US, up three-fold to a still small 935t, and Canada, where volumes more than doubled to 1,318t.
Dairy
It was the opposite with dairy, less production meant less volume for exports, but there was also significant movement in export destinations.
The biggest fall in sales was the 38,500t drop in volumes to the UK, of which 33,600t were a drop in cross-border sales to Northern Ireland.
Sales to the EU, however, showed a 9%, or 17,000t, increase to 205,906t and there was an almost 10,000t increase in volumes of Irish dairy exported to Africa in the first five months of the year. What is particularly striking about dairy exports for the period is that the value of sales to every export market declined, with the exception of the 473t which were exported to Oceania, according to the Bord Bia data.
Sheepmeat
Ireland continues to wait for approval to export sheep meat to the US and China, two of the world’s largest importers of the product. Therefore, sales are confined to the UK and EU and with less product produced, volumes exported to all markets were down compared with 2023. France remains the top market taking 7,889t up to the end of May, followed by the UK on 5,506t, with Germany next, taking 3,900t.
Pigmeat, poultry, horticulture and cereals
Despite a 6% drop compared with last year, China remains Ireland’s largest volume market for pigmeat, taking just over 23,000t, followed by the UK on 17,767t. The UK and EU took over 21,000t out of the 27,655t total poultry exports, as is the case with horticulture and cereals, with the UK taking over 120,000t and the EU taking 21,000t out of the total exports of 146,669t.
Comment
It was inevitable that falling milk production in 2024 would be reflected in exports and it is now clear that after a decade of growth, Irish dairy exports have hit their peak.
It will be interesting to observe the full year’s performance compared with the upward trajectory of previous years. As for the other categories of Irish agriculture, movements have been within the normal ebb and flow of trade, though the fall in sheepmeat volumes at a time when markets were particularly strong is a cause for concern.
In brief
Dairy exports down 8.6% in value, 3.9% in volume.Beef exports up 2.2% in value, 6.5% in volume.Sheepmeat down 5.9% value, 15.8% in volume.Pigmeat up 5% in value, 4.3% in volume.Horticulture and cereals up 24.4% in value, 10.9% in volume.Overall food and drink exports January to May €6.392bn, up 1%. 
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