Close to 40% of food and drink production in Ireland – valued at more than €25 billion – is by Irish-owned firms.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) published its Annual Review and Outlook for 2021 this morning (Thursday, November 11) in which it revealed that in 2018, the total value of all food and beverage products reached €25.7 billion.

With 40% of that accounted for by Irish firms – €9.8 billion – foreign-owned firms accounted for €15.9 billion of production.

The report also revealed that Ireland’s output of food, drink and tobacco was the sixth largest in the EU27 in 2017, after Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands and Poland.

Dairy and meat

The two largest outputs by Irish-owned food-producing firms were:

  • Dairy products worth €3.4 billion;
  • Meat products worth €3.2 billion.

This accounts for two thirds of output by Irish owned firms in the sector.

Other significant outputs (all in 2018) comprised:

  • Prepared animal feeds worth €721 million;
  • Bakery and farinaceous products worth €679 million;
  • Other food products worth €564 million;
  • Processed and preserved fish worth €508 million;
  • Drink worth €465 million (all in 2018).

Butter accounted for 30% of the dairy products, with cheese accounting for 24%.

Intermediate consumption by domestic Irish food and drink firms, 2018. Image source: DAFM Annual Review and Outlook for 2021

For Irish-owned food-producing firms to produce €9.8 billion of output, they used €7.6 billion of intermediate inputs in 2018.

Live animals and animal products were, by far, the largest input worth €4.93 billion.

Employment

In 2018, 1,352 Irish-owned food and drink corporations employing 32,070 people, according to the DAFM report.

Fifty-three foreign-owned corporations employed a further 20,521 and these, along with 2,488 self-employed people, give a total of 52,591 working in this sector.

Food and drink enterprises, employees, payment and GVA. Image source: DAFM Annual Review and Outlook for 2021

Irish-owned enterprises paid out €1.25 billion in total wages, compared to €1.07 billion by foreign-owned enterprises.

While foreign-owned enterprises employ 39% of those working in the sector and pay 46% of the wages, they generate 76% of the gross value added in the sector.

The impact of the food and beverage sector is dispersed throughout the country and a strong driver of regional development accounting for 7.1% of total employment.

In addition to servicing the domestic grocery and foodservice markets, the industry exports to 180 countries, maintaining substantial market positions in the UK, EU and international markets.

DAFM FOOD PRODUCTION