The southwest region of Cork and Kerry accounted for 31% of Irish milk output in 2022, making it the largest milk-producing region in the state, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The CSO has published its Regional Accounts for Agriculture 2022 data, which shows the Cork and Kerry region accounted for €1.6 billion in milk output.
Milk generated 55% of the region’s agricultural output according to the CSO data.
Meanwhile, the border region (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Sligo) produced 71% of the country’s poultry and 25% of both its sheep and pigs in 2022.
With its high (51%) dependence on livestock, it had the lowest rate of increase in operating surplus, which grew by 18% to €480 million, the CSO stated.
CSO data on other regions
The west (Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon) was the smallest producer of agricultural output in Ireland, generating just 9% (€1.1 billion) of Irish agricultural output at basic prices.
The mid-west (Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary) was the largest livestock and second-largest milk and poultry producing region in 2022, supplying 20% (€594 million) of the country’s cattle, 21% (€1 billion) of its milk, and 10% (€20 million) of its poultry output.
The southeast (Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, and Wexford) region was the second-largest producer of crops, growing 20% (€532 million) of Irish crops.
It was also the third-largest producer of milk in the state, generating 19% (€935 million) of Irish milk.
The value of the southeast’s agricultural output at basic prices increased by 29% to €2.2 billion and its operating surplus grew by 36% to €783 million.
The Dublin and mid-east region (Dublin, Kildare, Louth, Meath, and Wicklow) was the largest producer of crops in the state, accounting for 26% (€683 million) of the state’s total.
This region grew one third (€231 million) of Irish cereals.
The value of the midlands (Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath) region’s agricultural output at basic prices increased by 32% to €1.3 billion.
With both higher yields and dairy cow numbers, the value of milk production in the region was up by 61% to €461 million, the highest rate of growth in milk of all regions.
Commenting on the latest data, Mairead Griffin, statistician in the Agricultural Accounts and Production Section, CSO, said: “This release provides a regional breakdown of the country’s agricultural outputs, inputs, and income.
“While at a national level, operating surplus grew by 28% in 2022, at a regional level, the growth rates were spread between a low of 18% and a high of 51%.
“The significant spread of these rates can be explained by the composition of farm types within the regions.
“The performance of the different outputs, their relative importance to a region’s agriculture output and the rise in the main input costs incurred by the various farm types, all affected the regional rate of growth in operating surplus,” she added.
Best performing sectors
Cereal and milk production were the best performers in 2022, according to the CSO data.
The value of cereals increased by 60%, mainly due to prices rising by an average of 52%.
Milk also performed very well during the year, with stronger prices resulting in its value growing by 48%. By comparison, the value of livestock production rose by just 14%.
Consumption costs and output values
While the value of almost all outputs grew in 2022, the impact of the higher-output values was tempered by a 29% increase in intermediate consumption costs for the year.
The cost of fertilisers doubled while the cost of feeding stuffs grew by 30%.
As expected, the regions with the highest dependency on livestock, namely the west and border regions, both of which depended on livestock to generate over half of the value of their agricultural output at basic prices, did not perform as well as other regions.
These regions did however cut back sharply on their consumption of fertilisers, which was one of the main reasons they both saw increases in their intermediate consumption costs below the national average.
Best performing regions – CSO
At 18%, the border region had the lowest growth in operating surplus to €480 million, followed closely by the west, which had a growth rate of 19% to €523 million.
It is also interesting to note that the west region had the highest dependency on livestock, which accounted for 52% (€597 million) of the region’s output, and it was also the largest producer of sheep in the state, creating 28% (€105 million) of national output.
The southwest, with its high concentration of intensive dairy farming, saw its intermediate consumption costs rising by 38% and as a result, had just a 21% increase in its operating surplus to €1.1 billion in 2022.
The value of agricultural output in the southwest at basic prices grew by 32% to €2.8 billion.
The midlands region was the best performing region in 2022, with the value of its operating surplus growing by 51% to €317 million.
This was largely attributable to the region’s dairy producers, as a combination of both higher yields and dairy cow stocks resulted in the value of its milk production rising by 61% to €461 million, the highest rate of growth in milk of all regions.
The value of the mid-west’s agricultural output at basic prices increased by 29% to €2.2 billion, while its operating surplus grew by 39% to €874 million.
The value of the southeast’s agricultural output at basic prices rose by 29% to €2.2 billion and its operating surplus grew by 36% to €783 million.
Looking at the Dublin and mid-east region, it is worth noting that while it was the smallest producer of livestock, rearing just 11% (€489 million) of Irish animals, it was the largest producer of horses, creating 28% (€89 million) of the value of horses.
The region’s agricultural output at basic prices increased by 24% to €1.7 billion while its operating surplus grew by 28% to €601 million, the CSO has stated.