Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 September 2021
866. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of pigs processed in meat factories within the State for the years 2016 to 2020 and 2021 to date; the number of pigs originating within the State that were and are processed in Northern Ireland for the years 2016 to 2020 and 2021 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46711/21]
View answerPig meat is the fourth most valuable sector of the Irish agri-food industry in terms of exports after dairy, beef and beverages. Exports increased by 0.21% in value terms in 2020 compared to 2019, totalling just over €893 million according to Central Statistics Office figures. This equates to 6.3% of overall food, drink and horticulture exports.
Irish pig meat production in 2020 was up on 2019, with 3.5 million head processed by DAFM approved meat plants. Production for 2021 year to date (as of week ending 19th September 2021) has seen a 5.9% increase over the same period of 2020.
Pig Slaughter Figures for Ireland:
|
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 YTD (19 Sept) |
|
3,253,759 |
3,292,233 |
3,400,130 |
3,384,285 |
3,511,610 |
2,574,254 |
Figures taken from the EU's Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) system show that Ireland has exported a total of 335,000 live pigs in 2021 to date (23rd September), with 331,556 of these to Northern Ireland. The vast majority of these pigs are exported for the purposes of slaughter as detailed below, with smaller numbers designated as being for the purposes of production or breeding.
Pigs exported to Northern Ireland for slaughter:
|
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 YTD (23 Sept) |
|
374,789 |
404,806 |
424,252 |
398,198 |
449,892 |
318,380 |
