The value of food and live animal exports from Ireland in January 2024 stood at €1.017 billion, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
This is down by €17 million when compared with the same month last year (€1.034 billion).
The export of dairy products and eggs from Ireland was worth €210 million in the first month of the year, down from €249 million in January 2023.
The value of meat and meat preparation exports increased by €10 million to €361 million in the year to January.
There was a slight drop in the value of cereals and cereal preparations exports to €63 million, while live animal exports rose by €10 million to €42 million.
In January, €310 million worth of food and live animals were exported to the rest of the European Union, €307 million went to Britain, €134 million to Northern Ireland, €67 million to the US, €28 to China and €172 million to the rest of the world.
CSO
The CSO data shows that the value of food and live animal imports into Ireland in January 2024 stood at €768 million, down from €869 million in the same month last year.
€137 million worth of cereal and cereal preparations were imported, along with €136 million worth of vegetables and fruits.
There was €84 million worth of meat and meat preparations brought into the country, along with €80 million of dairy products and eggs.
The value of imports for feeding stuff for animals (excluding unmilled cereals) stood at €104 million, a significant drop from €172 million in January 2023.
€331 million worth of food and live animal imports to Ireland came from the European Union, €189 million from Britain, €97 million from Northern Ireland and €115 million from the rest of the world.
Trade
Commenting on the overall findings of the Goods Exports and Imports January 2024 report, Ciarán Counihan, statistician in the CSO International Trade in Goods Division said:
“Ireland recorded a trade surplus of €8.8 billion in January of this year. The increase in the surplus is due to a combination of increased exports and reduced imports.
“The largest increase in exports was due to pharmaceuticals, and the largest reduction in imports was seen in fuels,” he said.
“Ireland’s unadjusted exports of goods rose by €3.4 billion to €18.9 billion compared with January 2023. When seasonally adjusted, exports of goods grew by €2.5 billion compared with December 2023.
“The unadjusted imports for January 2024 were valued at €9.1 billion, a fall of €2.4 billion on January 2023. Seasonally adjusted imports were €9.4 billion in January 2024.
“Imports from Great Britain fell by 50% to €1.3 billion in January 2024 compared with January 2023. The largest decrease was in the imports of mineral fuels and lubricants.
“Exports to Great Britain were up by €200 million in January 2024 compared with January 2023,” Counihan added.