Volatility is normal for pig producers

While all sectors of Irish agriculture experience volatility from time to time, it is arguably greatest and makes the most impact on pig producers. Commercial pig production has to cope with Irish production conditions and costs, and rely on sales made across the world to generate a margin.

Teagasc’s pig and poultry specialist Michael McKeon explores the two decades of rapid growth in Spanish pig production and the huge challenge they now face with African Swine Fever. He also analyses the decline in EU pig production over the past five years.

The trend has also been downwards in Ireland. Last year the volume of pig meat exported was 198, 847t, down from 201,544t in 2024. This year has started with exports falling again in January, down to 15,667t falling from 17,497t in January 2025.

There was also a sharp fall in the value of Irish pig meat exports in January, down from €41.7m in January 2025 to €32.5m in January this year.

In recent years the UK has tended to be the most valuable export market for Irish pig meat while mainland China has been the largest volume market. Interestingly, in January this year there was slightly more Irish pig meat exported to the UK (3,235t) than to China (3,223t).

However, when it comes to value, pig meat exports to the UK were worth more than twice as much at €10.4m compared to €4.2m revenue for exports to China.

Japan and Australia are the next most important markets in terms of export value at €3.8m and 3.7m respectively, on volumes of 1,027t exported to Japan and 1,428t exported to Australia.

Pig meat is the most important Irish agri food export to Australia, with a value that is over three times more than dairy exports – the next most important category.

Similarly with Japan, which was a market for €2.6m-worth of Irish dairy exports in January – €1.2m less than the value of pig meat exports to that market. While most of the rest of Irish pig meat exports go to the EU where Germany is the largest market, export sales are made to every region of the world.

Irish pig producers are unique in that a handful of pig farmers provide the raw material that supports thousands of jobs which generated export revenue of €462.6m last year.