Meat Industry Ireland welcomes Bord Bia Report evidencing strong performance of Irish meat industry exports in 2024 and increased demand for Irish beef in 2025
Meat Industry Ireland (MII), the Ibec sector association representing primary beef, pork and lamb processing facilities, welcomes the continued strong performance of the Irish meat industry as evidenced in Bord Bia’s Performance and Prospects report for 2024/25 which was published this week.
The report reaffirms the robust performance of the meat industry in Ireland and indicates that global demand for beef imports is expected to increase further in 2025. In what was a positive year overall, Irish food, drink and horticulture exports rose 5% year last year to a record €17 billion, bolstered by a 6% increase in meat and livestock exports to €4.3 billion in 2024.
In the past 12 months, the meat and livestock export sectors saw a significant increase of 6% year-on-year, driven by higher volumes and higher unit prices. Beef exports, including offals, account for 68% of all meat and livestock exports and the value of same rose 6% year-on-year to €2.8 billion, with beef offal exports valued at €135 million.
In 2024, the value of primary pigmeat exports grew by an estimated 7% to reach €490 million, with production expected to recover further in 2025. Irish sheep meat exports had a more challenging year and faced a 6% decline in value to €400m, primarily due to product availability and challenging weather conditions during the lamb breeding season.
Dale Crammond, Director of Meat Industry Ireland, said: “In the face of a challenging global market, the Irish meat industry has performed exceptionally well in 2024. While beef exports remain incredibly strong, I was particularly pleased to see that the value of primary pigmeat exports increased by 7% to €490m, rebounding strongly from a decline in 2023.
“We expect a rise in global demand for the meat sector in the coming year and our members, despite some obvious challenges, are preparing to meet consumer demands in Ireland and overseas. As an industry, working with our farmer suppliers, we will continue to deliver high-quality products to international markets and further advance sustainability measures across the supply chain.”
