Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 October 2021
372. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which the dairy sector here has managed to maintain output in the course of the past twelve months notwithstanding Brexit and Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51916/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraNotwithstanding the challenges of the past year, Irish dairy sector exports continue to perform well, despite the global impact to foodservice as a result of COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions resulting from Brexit and COVID-19.
The Department remains vigilant in monitoring the current market and emerging trends, engaging with the industry on an ongoing basis to maximise opportunities for market growth and diversification.
In 2020 Ireland exported dairy products to approximately 143 countries with a value exceeding €5.1 billion. CSO figures for 2020 indicate a -0.7% volume decline and a 0.4% value increase compared to 2019. In 2020 EU Member States account for 33.7% of the value of Irish dairy exports, while the UK remained our strongest trading partner, accounting for 19.4% of dairy exports by volume.
Latest CSO figures show that dairy exports have decreased -7.8% by value and -16.4% by volume when Jan-Aug 2021 figures are compared to the same period in 2020 which reflects the ongoing challenging market situation.
The UK continues to be our strongest trading partner into 2021 accounting for 17.4% of total dairy exports by value. The Netherlands is our strongest EU trading partner, accounting for 14.5% of exports.
Domestic milk intake from the Irish dairy herd continued to grow in 2020 with an increase in milk production of +3.8% compared to 2019, with total deliveries of 8.29 billion litres. Irish milk production represented approximately 5% of total EU milk production in 2020.
In 2021 mild temperatures and abundant rainfall provided good conditions for pastures in producing regions; latest Eurostat figures show that milk deliveries for September 2020 to August 2021 have increased 5.8% when compared to the previous period.
