A sharp hike in beef imports between 2019 and 2023 resulted in the value of the business increasing by more than 55% to top €200m.

The volume of beef imports during the five-year period rose 21.5% to reach 36,568t. This was up from 30,213t in 2019.

In value terms, beef imports increased from €128.9m in 2019 to €200.3m in 2023.

The jump in agri-food imports was confirmed last week by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue in reply to Dáil questions from Kildare TD Bernard Durcan.

The data from Minister McConalogue showed that while the volume of imports fell during the five years in question, their value increased significantly. For example, the volume of dairy imports fell from 1,046,533t to 975,484t – a drop of 6.8% – but the value of purchases jumped 16%.

Spending on dairy imports – which includes purchases each year of around 740m to 750m litres of milk for processing from Northern Ireland – dropped from 1,046,533t to 975,484t between 2019 and 2023. This is a reduction of close to 7%.

However, the value of dairy imports increased by 16% during the five-year term, rising from €1.056bn to €1.167bn.

As with other sectors, the volume of pigmeat imports decreased between 2019 and 2023 but the value of the trade grew.

Pigmeat imports fell from 99,342t to 78,681t – a reduction of 21% – but the value of these imports rose by 4% to €358m.

Sheepmeat imports bucked the trend, falling in terms of both volume and value. Imports dropped from 6,650t in 2019 to 5,494t in 2023, a fall of 17.4%.

The value of sheepmeat imports fell by 1.5% over the same period, dropping from €36m to €35m. Most of it was sourced in the UK.

The volume of poultry imports increased by 7.3% between 2019 and 2023, rising from 134,330t to 144,114t.

The value of poultry imports went from €478m to €578m over the five years – an increase of 21%.

“It is important to consider agri-food imports in the context of corresponding exports. In 2023, Ireland recorded an agri-food trade surplus of €5.25bn in dairy produce; €2.79bn in beef; €525m in pigmeat; and €384m in sheepmeat,” the minister said.

The minister said that the data was the latest available, with full-year 2024 data expected to be available in February.

Irish agri-related imports include a mix of consumer and commodity produce.

For example, cheese and yoghurts – supplied primarily by the UK, France, the Netherlands and Germany – account for close to a quarter of Ireland’s dairy imports.

Skim milk powder for infant formula was another important import.

Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as the Netherlands and Germany, were the main suppliers of beef into Ireland.

Significant quantities of product also came from Poland for further processing.

Spain, Germany and the UK were the main providers of pigmeat imports, while poultry imports came primarily from the Netherlands, Poland and Germany.