Agri Politics
TD Carol Nolan asked the government to explain how Ireland has become dependent on imported fruit and vegetables.
Agri-Business
The value of food and live animal exports from Ireland stood at over €10.7 billion in the first eight months of the year, CSO data shows.
Animal-origin imports made up the bulk of rejections by DAFM at Irish Border Control Posts last year latest figures show.
Ireland imported almost €2bn worth of fruit and vegetables last year, as local horticultural production continues to decline.
The EU agri-food sector expanded its trade surplus in the first seven months of 2026, according to a new report.
The EU agri-food sector expanded its positive trade balance in the first six months of 2026, with a trade surplus of €23.9 billion.
Exports of food and live animals fell slightly in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, new CSO figures have shown.
Mercosur beef imports
Controls on imported beef “are governed by EU legislation on official controls, and are graduated and risk-based”, said Martin Heydon.
EU imports of beef and veal increased by €246 million (+25%) year-on-year, mainly due to higher imports from Brazil (+€113 million).
Pig/Poultry
EU imports of poultry products from Brazil increased in the first two months of 2026, figures show.
In 2025, the EU exported €238.2 billion worth of agricultural products and imported €213.5 billion, generating a €24.7 billion surplus.
Beef
Imports from Britain “typically account for almost half (48%) of the total volume of raw beef imported annually”, said Minister Martin Heydon.
The EU has notified to the Mercosur countries about the provisional application for the EU-Mercosur interim Trade Agreement.
The EU's agri-food sector has had another recording breaking year in 2025, strengthening its global leadership in agricultural trade
There were eight consignments of beef rejected at border control posts (BCPs) in 2024 and 2025, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Research shows that the total area of organic farmland in the world is 98.9 million hectares which is just 2.1% of total farmland.
The latest agri-food trade report published by the European Commission shows that the EU's agri-food trade eased in November 2025.
The chair of Bord Bia said today (Thursday, January 29) that his "record stands" as "a passionate advocate" for the Irish food industry.
The European Commission has formally established a task force aiming to strengthen import controls on food safety.
€253 million (67,503t) of poultry was imported to Ireland from non-EU countries (known as third countries) between January and October 2025.
Food and live animals make up the largest share of exports to the UK, according to data from the...
The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) has confirmed that a new round of the tariff suspension/quota schemes is now open.
Beef production in key producing and consuming regions is expected to contract by 0.8% in 2025...
