Press release
Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2024 Published
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
• €18.1 billion worth of agri-food exports, a 26.4% increase since 2020.
• Exporting to over 180 markets worldwide, accounting for 9% of total goods exported.
• 171,400 employed in the agri-food sector, a 3.5% increase on 2022 & 6.4% of total workforce.
• Dairy: €6.4 billion in exports, with both butter and cheese exceeding €1 billion.
• Beef: Almost €3 billion in exports, amounting to 475,600 tonnes.
• Seafood: Exports of circa €550 million, 46,131 tonnes of Atlantic Mackerel landed.
• Beverages: Exports of almost €2 billion, with Irish whiskey exceeding €1 billion.
• Tillage: Cereal production at 1.93 million tonnes, 6% of agricultural land.
• Forestry: 808,848 hectares, or 11.6% of total land area.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D., today announced the publication of the ‘Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2024’. It highlights the critical contribution of the agriculture, food and marine sector to the national economy, which supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and families across every city, town, village and parish of the country.
Commenting on the 2024 Annual Review and Outlook, Minister McConalogue said:
"The agri-food sector is our largest and most important indigenous exporting sector and plays a critical role in the environmental, societal and economic sustainability of Ireland. We have seen the ongoing resilience of our farmers and fishers, food producers, processors, and distributors as they experienced disruption and higher input prices caused by continued market disruption in recent years. Despite ongoing pressures, the sector has demonstrated its adaptability and strength, continuing to deliver safe and nutritious food and drink not only in Ireland but to people all around the world.”
“We exported quality produce to over 180 countries in 2023, with our largest exports being Dairy valued at €6.4 billion and Beef valued at almost €3 billion.
The Food, Drink & Primary Production sector accounted for 40% of all export sales by Irish-owned companies, directly supporting 6.4% of total employment, predominantly in rural and coastal communities. This significant domestic economic footprint, including its export profile, reflects the natural comparative advantages of Irish production, our long agricultural tradition, and our global reputation.”
In 2023, there were over 171, 000 people employed in the sector across 135,000 farms, 2,000 fishing vessels & aquaculture sites and some 2,000-food production and beverage enterprises. The sector is responsible for 4.5 million hectares of agricultural land and over 808,000 hectares of forestry, representing some 76% of the total land in the State.
The Irish agri-food sector is globally orientated, with approximately 90% of Irish beef, sheepmeat and dairy produce exported annually. The United Kingdom remains our largest trading partner with 38% or €6.8 billion of agri-food products exports in 2023. EU countries accounted for 34% at €6.2 billion, while the rest of the world accounted for 28% at €5.1 billion. The United States was our second largest export destination, and the Netherlands remained our third largest agri-food destination, with exports totalling almost €1.6 billion for each destination.
The Minister concluded:
“The data, analysis and commentary presented in this Annual Review and Outlook provides valuable insights to inform discussion and demonstrates the breadth and variety of activity in our agri-food sector. It is a testament to the people working in the sector, which has resulted in Ireland’s deserved reputation for excellence in agri-food.”
Minister McConalogue also announced the publication of the Food Vision 2030 dashboard, a key component of the implementation and monitoring of Food Vision 2030. The dashboard will be launched on a phased basis, with phase 1 focusing on baseline environmental data and indicators. Phase 2 will expand the dashboard to include economic and social sustainability indicators.
ENDS
The Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2024, the flagship economic publication of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, provides up-to-date information and statistical analysis from a variety of sources, to give a detailed overview of Ireland’s agri-food sector and an outlook for the future. This year’s publication includes chapters on the Agri-Food Sector and the Economy; Farm Income and Structures; Agricultural Commodities and Inputs; Forestry; Fisheries and Aquaculture; Agri-Food Sector Trade; EU and International Policy; Environment; and Research.
It is published on the Department’s website at: gov.ie - Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2024.