The value of food and live animal exports from Ireland between January and October this year stood at just over €12.1 billion, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
This is down by around €400,000 when compared with the same ten-month period in 2022 (€12.14 billion).
The CSO data shows that live animal exports were valued at €604 million from January to October, up from €485 in the corresponding period in 2022.
The export of dairy products and eggs from Ireland was worth €3.4 billion, down from €3.55 billion from January to October 2022.
Meat and meat preparation exports dropped from over €3.9 billion to €3.8 billion, while the value of cereals and cereal preparations exports rose from €575 million to €645 million.
Up to the end of October, over €4.2 billion worth of food and live animals were exported to the rest of the European Union, €3.3 billion went to Britain, €1.4 billion to Northern Ireland, €634 million to the US, €474 to China and €1.9 billion to the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, data released today (Monday, December 18) shows that food and live animals exports were €14.7 billion, or 7% of Ireland’s total exports in 2022.
CSO
The CSO noted that the value of food and live animal imports into Ireland between January and October this year was €8.2 billion, up from €7.8 billion in the same period last year.
€1.4 billion worth of cereal and cereal preparations were imported, along with €1.3 billion worth of vegetables and fruits.
There were €968 million worth of meat and meat preparations brought into the country, along with €852 million of dairy products and eggs.
€3.4 billion of food and live animal imports to Ireland came from the European Union, €1.9 billion from Britain and €1.1 billion from Northern Ireland.
Commenting on the overall Goods Exports and Imports October 2023 report, Ciarán Counihan, statistician in the CSO International Trade in Goods Division said:
“In October 2023, Ireland’s unadjusted exports of goods increased by €71 million to €17.6 billion when compared with October 2022. Seasonally adjusted exports were €17.8 billion in October 2023.
“The unadjusted imports for October 2023 were valued at €10.8 billion, a fall of €1.7 billion on October 2022. When seasonally adjusted, imports of goods decreased by €1 billion when compared with September 2023.
“Comparing the first 10 months of 2023 with the same period in 2022, exports of goods were down 5%, and the value of imports fell by 3%. Exports for the first 10 months of 2023 were €167 billion.
“Imports from Great Britain fell by 47% to €1.5 billion in October 2023 when compared with October 2022, and the largest drop was in the imports of mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials which were down by 72%.
“Exports to Great Britain fell by 29% to €1.2 billion in October 2023 when compared with October 2022, and the largest decrease of 75% was in the exports of chemicals and related products,” Counihan added.