2025 was a positive year for the poultry sector, with global growth in supply struggling to keep pace with demand. This message was conveyed in a number of presentations at Bord Bia’s Meat Market Seminar held on Friday.

The continued growth in demand for protein has been boosted over the last 18 months by a higher price point of beef and lamb encouraging some consumers to purchase higher volumes of poultry amid inflationary price pressure and less disposable income.

Production volumes have also been limited in some regions by outbreaks of avian influenza.

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The growth in demand and more favourable market dynamics underpinned higher production in Ireland, with Bord Bia pigmeat and poultry executive Shauna Jager reporting an 8% increase in production volumes in 2025.

Higher availability of poultry meat fuelled more favourable export performance, with the value of primal poultry exports increasing by 18% and valued at €163m.

The UK remains Ireland’s dominant export market, with exports worth €62m to Northern Ireland increasing in value by €10m, while exports to Britain increased in value by €6m to reach €40m.

The balance was made up of €36m in exports to continental Europe, up €3m on the previous year, and €18m (+23%) worth of exports to Africa and €3m (+61%) in exports to the Middle East.

Exports of value-added product also jumped sharply, rising by 17% to €230m. Some 86% of value-added product was exported to the UK with the balance to EU markets.

Domestic consumption

In terms of domestic consumption of poultry, demand for chicken fillets increased by 5.7%, with the value of such sales increasing by 10.9%.

Shauna said that Irish consumers are increasingly opting for more convenient options and this is seen in sales of whole birds falling by 1.2% and value declining by 0.6%.

Higher demand for lower-cost proteins was also evident within the poultry sales category, with sales of legs and wings increasing by 16.5% and driving an increase in value of 20.3%.

This was driven, according to Shauna, by a combination of brown poultry meat being offered at a lower price point and as an alternative taste offering.

2026 outlook

The prospects for the poultry sector are positive for 2026 and beyond.

Shauna predicts that with beef and lamb prices forecast to remain at a relatively high price point that there will be a continued trade down from such proteins to poultry and pigmeat, which will keep strong floor under demand.

Feed prices are also forecast to remain constant at current levels, which is good news for poultry producers.

The caveat to this is farms staying health-free, with an ongoing high risk of avian influenza.