Reaching the ‘highest ever’ volume of Irish exports, Ireland’s minister for agriculture, food and the marine, Michael Creed, said he was “encouraged by the resilience demonstrated by Irish exporters during 2018…and is confident this resilience would continue throughout 2019” despite ‘continued uncertainty.’
The latest figures coincide with the launch Bord Bia’s ‘Export Performance and Prospects 2018/2019’ report, with chief executive Tara McCarthy commenting: “Last year was an extraordinary year of instability, however Irish food and drink exporters continued to trade resiliently through the uncertain environment.
“To exceed export values of £10.6bn (€12bn) for a second year running, and reach new record levels in terms of volume, is hugely impressive.
“It demonstrates the buoyancy, commitment and ambition of the Irish agri-food sector, which is well positioned to exploit the relentless growth in the global demand for food.”
Dairy came out on top as the country’s ‘strongest’ performer in terms of export growth in 2018 (+5% on 2017), and is worth over £3.6bn (€4bn) for the second year running.
The value of meat and livestock exports from Ireland also reached ‘a record high’ at just under £3.6bn (€4 billion), which was up +1% on 2017.
However seafood exporters ‘suffered’ from reduced quotas in mackerel and decreased production of farmed salmon, with the value of Irish seafood exports having declined by 13% to £499m (€561m).
Looking ahead, McCarthy said global demand for Irish food and drink looks likely to “remain positive” in 2019.
“In both dairy and animal protein, the supply demand dynamic is positive for exporting nations like Ireland. Demand will continue to outstrip supply and new consumers tend to be in countries with low dairy or animal protein self-sufficiency.
‘In line with Bord Bia’s Market Prioritisation work, growth in dairy, meats and seafood in particular will come to a great extent from emerging economies in Asia and elsewhere.”