Live exports of animals were down 23 per cent last year compared to 2019, the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine revealed.
Overall live animal exports fell from €455 million in 2019 to €340 million in 2020, the Minister of State Martin Heydon disclosed.
Speaking in the Dáil, (on Wednesday 17 February), the Minister said the reduction of live exports in 2019 was due to a number of factors.
“The peak time for exporting calves coincided with the start of the pandemic, resulting in much smaller numbers of calves being exported to continental Europe:” said Minister Heydon.
“Pig exports to Northern Ireland were down by about 80 per cent and the export of purebred breeding horses around the world was down by about 20 per cent, a significant impact on the thoroughbred breeding sector,” he added.
Transport issues also impacted on live fish exports which were down 10 per cent in 2020 to €521 million.
“The effects of the pandemic can be seen when examining the destinations of agrifood exports in 2020 with exports declining by 10 per cent or more to those countries which suffered the most due to the pandemic, such as the USA, France, Italy, Belgium and Spain,” Minister Heydon concluded.
LSL News.