France is key market for Irish food and drink

Where does France rank for Irish food and drink exports?

France is a market worth over €1bn annually for the past three years, reaching €1.146bn in 2024.

It is our largest market for Irish sheepmeat exports and the second largest for beef after the UK, but the highest-value category for Irish exports to France in 2024 was for dairy.

Irish butter is widely used in the bakery sector and food service.

See Figure 1 for a detailed breakdown of Irish food and drink exports to France in 2024.

What is essential for doing business in France?

Many Irish exporters have a long-term trading relationship with French customers and have built strong relationships.

France is an extremely complex market, with a strong preference for French beef and dairy over imports, but they are quite receptive to imported sheepmeat.

You will rarely - if ever - see imported beef in a French supermarket, but imported lamb is openly promoted.

Reliable supply of quality product is an absolute necessity and French buyers are consistently impressed with what they get from Ireland.

How does this affect the promotion of beef?

We have to be creative when promoting beef. This means creating awareness among potential buyers who are open to sourcing a quality imported product.

We do this through participation in major trade shows, of which the best known is SIAL, held in Paris every second year.

Irish beef is popular in the food service sector and we work closely with distributors to ensure that when they think beef, they think of Ireland as a source of supply for a high-quality product.

A key part of our job is bringing French buyers and media to Ireland so that they can experience where the product they are buying comes from and learn how it is produced.

What has changed in the French market in recent years?

The most obvious change in the five years that I have been with Bord Bia is that French lamb buyers are now buying more carcases.

Historically, all Irish lamb was exported to France in carcase form, but this had been changing to added-value lamb cuts. Now, it looks like the market is returning to the more traditional trade.

What future challenges will Irish beef and sheepmeat exports face in France?

Production is falling in France, so that means that demand for imports will be sustained or maybe even increase in the years ahead.

Of course, there is always competition in the market for imported beef and lamb from other European countries and outside the EU as well.

We can never be complacent and think that we have this market conquered.

Promotion of what makes Irish beef and sheepmeat special has to be ongoing to keep it constantly in the mind of buyers, as they get other options presented to them every day.