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Spotlight: Irish agrifood industry in numbers

There was a busy schedule of events in the agrifood sector this week with Bord Bia along with the World Wildlife Fund and Sustainable Agriculture Initiative hosting a Global Sustainability Forum, and winners announced in this year's Food and Drink Awards. 

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Sustainability in the Irish agrifood sector

At a Global Sustainability Forum this week, Bord Bia released its first Origin Green report which shows that Ireland’s dairy herd already enjoys the joint-lowest footprint in the European Union, while its beef herd ranks at number five. Total greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture could be reduced by 6%, or by 1 million tonnes if the lower-performing beef and dairy farms were brought back in line with the national average.

The report goes on to state that were the carbon footprint of the beef herd to be reduced by 10% - by achieving a range of specified performance measures - it could become the most carbon efficient in Europe and generate improved on-farm income of €300 million per year.

The two day Forum brought together 400 participants, including 120 from overseas to research and identify practical ways to meet the need for increased food production while protecting natural resources.

And the winners are...

The achievements of eight Irish food companies were recognised at the Bord Bia Food and Drink Awards this week across the categories of Branding, Consumer Insight, Digital Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Exporting, Innovation, Success at Home and Sustainability.

Gallagher’s BakeryNobó, Celtic Pure, Glanbia’s Avonmore SuperMilk Britvic Ireland’s Club Orange and Glenisk all went home with Awards this year, having been whittled down from a shortlist of 27 Irish businesses. The awards, which take place every two years,are designed to acknowledge and reward excellence within the Irish food and drink industry. 

Find out more about each of the winners of the Bord Bia Food & Drink Awards.

Interested in finding out more Ireland's agrifood industry? about Read on for some key stats. 

Irish agrifood sector represents 8% of GDP 

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Irish agrifood sector exports to 175 markets 

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  • Results from 2014 show UK was the destination for 40% of Irish food and beverage exports, with 29% exported to continental Europe and 31% to the rest of the world
  • Dairy products and ingredients accounted for 29% of total exports, while beef accounted for 22% of exports
  • Irish beef is exported to more than 40 countries
  • The estimated value of edible horticulture and cereals exports in 2014 was €230m
  • The top 5 markets for Irish seafood exports are France, UK, Nigeria, Spain and Italy

Other useful stats

  • Irish dairy production is expected to grow by 50% by 2020 from 5.5bn to 7.5bn litres
  • Irish beef sector has an annual output of €2.27bn
  • The output of poultry production is valued at €164m annually, with €130m from poultry meet and €34m from eggs
  • Ireland has 470 commercial pig production units producing 3.6m pigs
  • The Irish seafood sector is worth €800m to the economy and employs 11,000 people

Click on each of these Bord Bia infographics about the Irish agrifood sector for a larger version.

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Origin Green

The Origin Green programme was launched in 2012 and is well on track to meet its 2016 target of having every farm and food and drink producer engaged on the sustainability journey. 

Since Bord Bia's sustainability programme Origin Green was established in 2012:

  • More than 55,000 Irish farms and 122 food and drink companies have become fully-verified members of the programme.
  • These farms account for 90% of Ireland’s beef production and half of its milk output, while the companies are responsible for 85% of the country’s food and drink exports.

As part of the programme, food and drink manufacturers have committed to over 800 sustainability targets around raw material sourcing, manufacturing processes and social sustainability.

The targets provide for reductions of €12 million and €17 million in energy and water usage respectively by 2017, and seek to reduce general waste generation by 14,000 tonnes.

According to Bord Bia, Origin Green has met with universal acclaim from the World Bank, the World Wildlife Fund, and from global leaders in the food and drink industry.

For more information

For more information on Bord Bia, see their website. And for anyone thinking of starting a food business, check out Bord Bia Vantage

Full details of the Origin Green report are available on the Origin Green website

Check out more information on the winners of this year's Bord Bia Food & Drink Awards.