Growth for Irish food and drink exports
Irish food and drink exports to the UK rose by 7% to €4.4 billion in 2015, accounting for 41% of total food and drink exports, reports Board Bia.
The UK remained a key market for Irish dairy exports, accounting for almost one third of the total. The UK market represents 70% of prepared consumer food exports, and 44% of prepared food exports. Irish whiskey is the fastest growing spirit in the world with 29% of Irish exports destined for the UK. The UK continues to be the most important market for Irish beef accounting for 54% of all Irish beef exports.
It is estimated that the global value of Irish food and drink exports increased by 3% to exceed €10.8 billion for the first time. The food and drink sector recorded its sixth consecutive year of export growth.
Increased output in key sectors, favourable exchange rate developments and better returns for beef, seafood and beverages helped to offset a considerable weakening in global dairy prices.
Aidan Cotter, chief executive at Board Bia, says, “Irish food exporters registered record growth, increasing exports by some €355 million in a period when global food commodity prices declined by approximately 19%, the Russian market was effectively closed to EU food exports, and consumer sentiment remained sluggish across the Eurozone. This year will present further opportunities for growth in most sectors notwithstanding challenges from continued global dairy price pressures through the early months of 2016.”
The strongest categories in terms of export growth were beverages, beef and seafood. The sustained growth in exports of Irish whiskey, up by an estimated 18%, was the most significant driver in the beverages category, with the UK accounting for 29% of total beverage exports. The growth in dairy exports, up 4%, occurred in the face of an exceptionally adverse trading environment and reflects the strong growth in the volume of specialist nutrition powders, which increased by 25% overall and by 40% to China alone. 56% of Irish beef, an estimated 272,000 tonnes, was destined for the UK market.
