Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 October 2021
381. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which the future for Irish pig meat remains attractive in both the export and domestic markets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51926/21]
View answerThe pigmeat sector has shown remarkable growth in recent years, over the last decade exports have grown substantially from a base of €330 million export value in 2010 to €893 million in 2020, a 170% increase.
Over 87,000 tonnes of pigmeat exports valued at over €406 million were exported to the UK in 2020. This represents almost 45.5% of total export value for the sector.
However, third country markets, which have been steadily expanding in recent years, rose to 37.24% of total share in 2020.
This is illustrated by the significant expansion in Ireland’s pig meat exports to Asia, and to China in particular, where values grew by €24.6 million in 2020 (a 14% increase on 2019) nearing €200m for the year and growth of over 160% when compared to 2018. The EU accounted for 17.2% of export totals.
Irish pigmeat can be exported to a broad range of international markets including, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, and the USA. Securing market access and diversifying trade remains a key aim for my Department.
The short-term outlook for the pigmeat market will be influenced by global supply and demand dynamics as well as by potential disruptions to supply chains.
Ensuring the continued operation of Irish food supply chains and expanding market access remain key priorities for my Department.
