About us
- The food and drink industry has deeper links to the wider economy than the rest of manufacturing.
- The extensive regional footprint of the food and drink sector, including regions which are economically disadvantaged relative to the EU average, means it is directly linked to the performance of the whole economy and is also at heart of the social fabric of rural Ireland.
- Food and drink manufacturing accounts for half of direct expenditure by the entire manufacturing sector in the Irish economy (payroll, Irish materials and Irish services).
- As a result, the sector has a high employment multiplier, which means it supports employment in other parts of the economy in a way that other sectors don’t. The sector provides the exclusive outlet for much of farmer/SME produce, providing extensive added value and is thus crucially important to farm incomes.