The value of Irish pigmeat exports fell by 24% or €9m in August to €28.6m, down from €37.7m in August last year.

The volume exported fell by 8% or 1,290 tonnes to 14,584 tonnes.

For the year to date, pigmeat export values are down 10.4% or €33.1m to €284.2m even though overall export volumes for the first eight months of the year were 3,309 tonnes higher at 135,878 tonnes.

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It was a more positive picture for the other main categories of Irish agrifood exports in August.

Dairy exports were worth 8.5% more compared to August 2025 at €672.4m; beef export values increased by 8% to €247m; sheep meat was up by almost 7% to €31.9m; and the value of horticulture and cereals exports was 17.1% higher at €26.7m.

Looking at the volume of each product exported during the month, the biggest increase compared to last year came for beef exports, which increased by 22.6% or 6,944 tonnes to 37,662 tonnes.

There was also a healthy increase in the amount of dairy products exported, up by 19,245 tonnes or 12.4% to 175,041 tonnes. There was a slight decline of less than 1% in sheepmeat volumes exported to 4,114 tonnes.

There was a big increase in the volume of horticulture and cereals exported, up 38.7% to 36,194 tonnes with much of this coming from an 8,804 tonne increase in the volume of cereals exported.

More volume offsets lower prices

It is notable that there was a greater increase in the quantity of dairy; beef; and cereals and horticulture than in the value exported during August.

That was particularly evident in the case of beef, as the 22.6% increase was from a particularly low level in August 2025. It was a similar picture for cereals; a big, almost 39%, increase in volume of horticulture and cereals exported accounted for the more modest 17% increase in the value of those exports. Despite the slump in dairy markets over the year, the increase in value of 8.5% was relatively close to the 12.4% increase in volume which means that the value per tonne was just below last year.

Dairy exports

The 22% decline in the value of Irish butter exports to €131.2m reflects a sharp fall in wholesale butter prices between August 2025 and August 2026. Over this period, the GDT price fell from €6,120 to €4,391 per tonne. The drop in overall value means that butter falls to become the second most valuable export category in Irish dairy. Cheese took over in the number-one position, with value increasing by 8% to €175.6m.

While the average value of Irish butter exports was €5,015 per tonne in August, there is a big variance in the values achieved for sales to different markets, as shown in Figure 1. The three largest-volume markets for Irish butter in August were the Netherlands followed by USA and the UK, with a big increase in sales to Northern Ireland, accounting for the large year-on-year increase.

Value of United States

The United States stands out as the high-value market for Irish butter exports as well as being the major volume-growth market over the past decade, as shown in Figure 2. At €7,708 per tonne, it is worth almost €2,700 per tonne more than the overall average per tonne achieved for Irish butter exports in August.

It is well documented that the Kerrygold brand has led the expansion of Irish butter exports to the US followed by other Irish brands. More recently, Tirlán partnered with Costco in an own-label venture.

Netherlands is the largest volume and mainly a wholesale market as it distributes globally, and was worth €3,817 per tonne, while the UK market was worth €4,570 per tonne.

The increased value in cheese exports in August was driven by cheese production increasing by 20% or 6,832 tonnes. While demand has cooled somewhat in recent weeks, whey has been the spectacular dairy growth category this year. Its link to cheese production certainly contributed to the increase in August. The value of whey exports increased by 75% compared to August last year, to €55.3m on a 10% increase in volume shipped. Milk-protein concentrate exports increased by 77.6% to €23.3m, and infant-food exports increased by almost 26% to €46.8m.

Beef volumes recover

Volume is up almost 23% compared to August last year. Despite this increase, the total volume exported was the second lowest for the month since August 2020.

There is no significant change in the markets for Irish beef exports, with the UK taking almost half the total: 47% of value at €115.9m and 46% of volume at 17,413 tonnes. Most of the rest goes to EU countries, with France taking beef to €28.6m value for 5,594 tonnes. The Italian market was worth €22m, Netherlands €21.5m and Sweden was the fifth largest market at €14.3m.

Sales beyond the EU for beef remain small, though exports to Japan and Hong Kong increased to beyond €1m in August. Sales to the US and Canada combined were worth €1.5m.

Sheepmeat volume weak but value strong

The good news on sheepmeat is that the value in August was almost 7% up on August last year to €31.9m making it the fourth highest total for the month in the past decade.

However, it was achieved on the third-lowest volume of sheep meat exported in the month of August during the decade, and down marginally on last year’s volume to 4,114 tonnes.

Despite a 22% drop in value compared to 2025, France remains the largest export market at €6.7m, followed by Germany at €6.6m.

Sales to the UK increased significantly this August compared to last year, up by almost 40% to €5.2m, while exports to Italy surged by €1.8m to be worth €3.9m for the month.

Comment

August’s overall export figures look robust, but there are mixed fortunes across the different categories. Pig-meat producers have been having a particularly difficult time, and the slump in August export values has to be a major concern.

For beef, August saw an improvement on last year only because the volume increased; the value per tonne was lower, while analysis of dairy exports shows the US was the jewel in the crown for butter exports.

However, as processors now compete for market share, the concern for dairy farmers is the impact this will have on the price premium Irish butter secures in the US. Time will tell if an expanding market can accommodate them all or will it mean further erosion of the price premium.