Irish poultry sector faces major challenges
The Irish poultry sector is facing major challenges. Avian Influenza poses a risk across the entire island, while retailers’ preference for sourcing eggs from systems other than enriched cages is intensifying. Added pressure from animal welfare NGOs is making significant investment necessary to shift production methods.
Capital investment for new production systems is also a major challenge, as costs have risen substantially over the past 5 years. Another difficulty is securing long-term contracts from retailers, which are needed for producers to make adequate returns on their investments over time.
That is how the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) describes the current situation in the national poultry section in its Annual Review and Outlook.
The only meat set to record an increase
On a more positive note, the department adds: “Poultry will continue to benefit from a healthier image and a relatively cheaper price, and is the only meat set to record an increase, growing by 1.6kg per capita. However, the yearly growth rate is expected to be slower than seen in the past decade. Poultry exports are expected to regain momentum, despite the continuing price gap relative to world prices.”
The Irish poultry market
The Irish poultry sector is modest in size compared to most other European countries. The gross output value reached €237.4 million in 2024, a 9% rise from 2023. This increase was attributed to a strong 9.5% rise in volume, moderated by a 0.6% decrease in price.
Throughput increased by 2% from 2023 with over 114 million birds slaughtered, of which 89.8% were chickens. Poultry meat exports in 2024 increased moderately compared to 2023 in terms of value reaching €294.8 million, with the UK as the largest customer by far.
Irish table eggs
Irish table egg production has been increasing over recent years. However, outbreaks of diseases such as avian influenza have had a serious negative impact on some producers, resulting in flocks being culled, leading to a significant loss in table egg production.
In 2024, the volume of table eggs produced in Ireland was estimated at 59,100 tonnes (938 million table eggs). There was a total of 272 table egg production sites registered with DAFM in 2024, a small increase on the equivalent figure for 2023. The total number of bird places in Ireland exceeded 3.95 million in 2024, a slight increase on 2023. However, the number of barn egg bird places significantly increased – from 9% to 20% of total bird places in 2024 when compared to 2023.
