The production of poultry meat is very much concentrated in the northern part of the island of Ireland, centred on Co Monaghan and particularly across the border into Northern Ireland.

The industry is dominated by chicken production, accounting for three-quarters of total output, with turkey production the next largest.

There is a duck production and processing industry centred on the Silverhill duck factory in Emyvale, Co Monaghan. This was acquired in 2019 by Fane Valley co-op, which is a joint owner along with ABP of Linden Foods and Slaney Foods, and the factory draws from a cross-border supply base.

Industry value

The poultry meat industry in the Republic of Ireland generated export sales of €306m in 2019, more than 50% higher than the equivalent value of €200m in 2010.

This represents approximately 42% of the local supply of poultry meat produced in the Republic of Ireland. The volume of poultry meat exported in 2019 was 150,000t, with the UK as the main destination, taking 91,500t at a value of €218m. Some of the product exported to the UK is for onward sale to EU and global markets.

The main EU 27 markets are France, Denmark and the Netherlands. South Africa is the only significant market outside of the EU, taking 31,600t of product, valued at just under €29m.

In Northern Ireland, the value of the poultry sector was put at £745m (€832m) in 2018. Sales were mainly within the UK. Exports to the Republic of Ireland accounted for £85.3m (€95m).

Industry structure

Poultry meat production is a completely integrated business, with farmer growers contracted to supply birds to a factory processor.

Moy Park in Northern Ireland is the biggest player on the island of Ireland, and is now owned by the US-based Pilgrim’s Pride, which has JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, as its major shareholder. JBS had previously owned Moy Park, having bought it from Marfrig, another major global meat processor in 2015.

At the start of the decade, Moy Park acquired the Co Antrim-based O’Kane Poultry, then Northern Ireland’s second-largest poultry processor.

In the Republic of Ireland, the largest processor is Manor Farms, which had been owned by the Carton family for several generations, but was sold to Scandi Standard in 2017.

Global trade

According to CSO figures for 2018, Ireland actually imports 145,000t carcase weight equivalent more than the 126,000t poultry meat it exported in that year.

This reflects the fact that the Irish market has a huge preference for breast meat and little appetite for brown leg meat, so Ireland imports additional breast meat and exports surplus leg meat.

At EU level, the EU 28 exported 2.6m tonnes of poultry meat in 2019 and imported 935,000t. Of this, approximately 40% was imported from Brazil, 28% from Thailand and 22% from the Ukraine (see Figure 2).

Outlook

Demand for poultry meat has grown consistently for decades in Ireland and throughout the world. Genetic progression means that poultry production returns the best food conversion on feed and, as a result, poultry has competed with pigmeat as the lowest-cost meat option for consumers.

Poultry meat is also considered the healthiest meat for consumers and this, along with its relatively low cost, is reflected in its ever-increasing per-capita consumption.

According to CSO in 2018, Irish citizens consumed 36.3kg of poultry meat, compared with 29.7kg of pigmeat, 20.5kg of beef and just 3.7kg of sheepmeat.

Future demand is assured for poultry meat, although there is the threat of disruption to business with the UK, depending on what type of trade deal, if any, is agreed before the end of this year.