Irish Food and Drink Exports Crosses Record – £14.8 bn High
Bord Bia’s Export Performance and Prospects report for 2022/23 uncovered a stunning 22% surge in Ireland’s food, drink, and horticulture exports last year – the highest on record.
With food and drinks exports hitting £2.6bn since 2021 alone – that’s nearly 30% higher than before the pandemic hit (£11.5bn in 2019) – it is clear to see why this new data has generated such excitement amongst Irish businesses!
Growth was credited to both inflation-induced unit price hikes along with a surge in input and operational costs, as well as an increase in the quantity of exported goods.
Irish dairy held the most value share, with exports valued at £6bn last year – a year-on-year increase of 33%, or £1.5 bn). This was mainly driven by butter (up 26% in value) and cheese (up 25% in value).
Dairy dominates the Irish food and beverage industry, with a staggering 1.7 million tons of product exported to 130 countries around the world.
Meat and livestock exports were the next most profitable, contributing to more than £3.5bn of Ireland’s GDP – a 15% surge as compared with 2019’s figures! Beef was the major moneymaker for the sector, with a valuation of £2.2bn, a surge of £340m or 18% compared to 2021’s figures.
Last year, whiskey exports formed a significant part of the overall value growth; in fact, they accounted for 60%! These exports reached an all-time high of almost £1 billion – that’s a 25% increase compared to 2021.
The Export Performance and Prospects report 2022/23 is the first of its kind to be published by Bord Bia.
News Credits: Irish food and drink exports hit record high €16.7bn
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