The United Kingdom (Great Britain & Northern Ireland) is Ireland’s largest trading partner with 37.7% of total agrifood sector goods exported to the UK and 46.3% of agrifood goods imported from the UK in 2019.
In 2018, total agrifood exports to the UK were €5.6 billion (40.7%), while imports totalled €4.5 billion, (45.8%) giving Ireland a trade surplus with the United Kingdom of approximately €1.1 billion in agrifood goods.
Preliminary figures for 2019 indicate that exports to the UK decreased slightly to €5.47 billion in 2019, while imports from the UK increased to €4.65 billion, giving Ireland a trade surplus with the United Kingdom of approximately €820 million. Ireland’s top exports to the United Kingdom in 2019 were dairy products and beef, each of which accounted for over €1 billion in exports to the country.
The largest imports from the UK in 2019 were cereal and cereal preparations worth €730 million, dairy products at €607 million and beverages at €437 million.
The following table provide a full breakdown of trade with the UK during the period 2018 & 2019 in respect of both value and volume of goods based on CSO data. The 2019 data is provisional with final 2019 data available in mid-March.
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Jan-Dec 2018
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|
Jan-Dec 2019
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|
|
|
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Imports from United Kingdom
|
Imports
|
|
Imports
|
|
|
|
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|
Agrifood category
|
€000
|
Tonnes
|
€000
|
Tonnes
|
|
% Total value imports 2018
|
|
% Total value imports 2019
|
Cereal & cereal preparation
|
702,492
|
1,057,944
|
729,935
|
953,089
|
16%
|
22%
|
16%
|
21%
|
Dairy Produce
|
631,579
|
950,817
|
607,372
|
904,854
|
14%
|
20%
|
13%
|
20%
|
Beverages
|
407,390
|
523,541
|
437,127
|
544,219
|
9%
|
11%
|
9%
|
12%
|
Coffee, Tea, Cocoa & Spices
|
323,021
|
68,536
|
355,299
|
79,962
|
7%
|
1%
|
8%
|
2%
|
Miscellaneous Edible Products & Preparations
|
327,911
|
137,482
|
334,220
|
146,567
|
7%
|
3%
|
7%
|
3%
|
Animal Foodstuffs
|
313,183
|
736,474
|
280,226
|
611,409
|
7%
|
15%
|
6%
|
13%
|
Fruit & Vegetables Based Products
|
253,970
|
176,416
|
260,338
|
189,671
|
6%
|
4%
|
6%
|
4%
|
Live Animals
|
180,041
|
2,987
|
253,910
|
3,948
|
4%
|
0%
|
5%
|
0%
|
Fruit & Vegetables
|
198,545
|
225,890
|
238,065
|
213,954
|
4%
|
5%
|
5%
|
5%
|
Fish
|
179,273
|
50,399
|
185,482
|
48,969
|
4%
|
1%
|
4%
|
1%
|
Poultry
|
169,304
|
48,627
|
178,043
|
51,317
|
4%
|
1%
|
4%
|
1%
|
Pigmeat
|
160,705
|
48,453
|
158,696
|
51,583
|
4%
|
1%
|
3%
|
1%
|
Sugar, Sugar Preparation & Honey
|
146,783
|
177,638
|
134,963
|
145,298
|
3%
|
4%
|
3%
|
3%
|
Beef
|
120,904
|
61,977
|
111,733
|
26,145
|
3%
|
1%
|
2%
|
1%
|
Forestry
|
97,799
|
338,909
|
103,576
|
334,004
|
2%
|
7%
|
2%
|
7%
|
Crude Animal & Vegetable Material
|
67,507
|
33,668
|
72,784
|
48,585
|
2%
|
1%
|
2%
|
1%
|
Wood Based Products
|
50,548
|
37,591
|
60,178
|
48,535
|
1%
|
1%
|
1%
|
1%
|
Vegetable Oils & Fats
|
51,092
|
108,589
|
49,631
|
78,147
|
1%
|
2%
|
1%
|
2%
|
Sheepmeat
|
25,994
|
4,930
|
32,661
|
6,373
|
1%
|
0%
|
1%
|
0%
|
Oilseeds & Oleaginous Fruit
|
15,494
|
37,769
|
15,751
|
35,425
|
0%
|
1%
|
0%
|
1%
|
Other Meat & Meat Produce
|
9,911
|
4,956
|
14,470
|
6,395
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
Egg
|
12,320
|
8,987
|
12,796
|
10,598
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
Animal Oils & Fats
|
11,988
|
12,665
|
10,439
|
12,947
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
Flax, Wool & Animal Hair
|
5,889
|
1,233
|
6,738
|
3,027
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
Animal Skins & Furs
|
541
|
21
|
888
|
209
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
Cotton
|
34
|
8
|
178
|
113
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
0%
|
Grand Total
|
4,464,216
|
4,856,508
|
4,645,498
|
4,555,344
|
|
|
|
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