Irish meat industry is looking for a perfect year
Officials from Bord Bia, Ireland's government agency on promoting food exports, believe that the positive trend for the meat industry in 2017 will continue to be in place for this year. The combined value of Irish meat and livestock exports reached 3.9 billion euros in 2017, increasing by 8% compared to the previous year, informs Farmers Journal.
Irish beef exports, including offal, increased by 5% in 2017 to 2.5 billion euros growth in this sector was driven by an increase in average prices and supply. In the last two months of the year, the number of weekly slaughterings reaching over 40,000 head in this period as the demand from the EU and the international market grew. The strong demand has pushed the prime cattle prices up by 7.5%, or 28c/kg
UK accounted for 51% of the Irish beef exports, while the continental EU Members States have absorbed 43% of the volumes. An increase in volume by 6% was seen also in the Phillippines and Hong Kong markets.
The EU market forecast for 2018 reveals a 0.5% increase in beef consumption, while the international markets remain open for Irish beef, offal and livestock. Last year, live cattle exports increased by almost 30% to 188,000 head, with calves demand growing by 40% to 100,000 head.
Exports of weanling and store cattle grew by 20% to 59,000 head, 30,000 head being delivered to Turkey. Netherlands and Spain are two markets within EU that are expected to grow in the next months, as the prices of veal are growing in the Netherlands while the demand for calves from Spain increase due to contracts signed by Spanish meat processors with clients from Libya, the Lebanon, Algeria and Turkey.
(Photo source: Pixabay)
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