Agricultural and Cereal Markets in Ireland
Ireland is a small European country that occupies the majority of its namesake island in the northern Atlantic. With a total territory of over 70.000 square kilometers, Ireland is somewhat larger than the state of West Virginia. The country’s total population is of almost 5 million citizens and its landscape is dominated by rolling hills and a long coastline with distinct seasons throughout the year. Currently, Ireland’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) exceeds US$300 billion and the country has continued to experience positive economic growth throughout recent years. The Irish national economy is divided into 1% agriculture, 41% manufacturing, and 58% services. However, the agriculture industry utilizes about 66% of the national territory, while another 11% is forested. Likewise, Ireland’s agricultural industry employs 5% of the national labor force, while manufacturing employs about 11% and services employ another 84%.
Geographically, Ireland’s location is strategic for both maritime and airborne trade throughout the northern Atlantic. Similarly, Ireland’s natural resources include natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, and dolomite. Within the manufacturing industry, Ireland produces pharmaceuticals, chemicals, computer hardware and software, medical devices, food products, beverages, and alcoholic drinks. Meanwhile, the country’s agricultural industry has as main products barley, potatoes, wheat, beef, and dairy products. Since 1973, Ireland has been a member of the European Union and has used the Euro as its official currency since its creation in 1999. Furthermore, as a member of the EU, Ireland benefits from subsidies and industry protections under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This article explores the status of food and agricultural markets in Ireland.
Agricultural and Cereal Markets in Ireland
In terms of trade, Ireland’s main partners are the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and fellow EU members, particularly Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Annually, Ireland exports more than €12 million worth of food and agricultural products. Today, Ireland counts with almost 140.000 farm operations. Moreover, in Ireland, an average 37% of the population lives in a rural setting, while another 63% lives in an urban one. However, the average age of Irish farmers is of 57 years and the agricultural industry is in need of younger farmers to enter the field.
Land use in Ireland has evolved throughout the last half century. Between the 1960s all the way until the 1980s, pastures and meadows in Ireland totaled over 4.1 million hectares, while arable land averaged over 1 million hectares. Today, pastures and meadows in Ireland account for little over 3.1 million hectares, while arable land totals an average of 1.1 million hectares. Furthermore, about one-third of the Irish diet currently consists of cereals, roots, and tubers.
Similarly, the domestic cereals market in Ireland has evolved during the last half century. During the early 1960s, Ireland devoted approximately 400.000 hectares of land to the production of cereals and produced between 1.1 million and 1.4 million metric tons annually. In 2014, Ireland devoted little over 300.000 hectares of land to cereals production and yielded some 2.6 million metric tons.