The supply of meat increased by 4% to 1.48 million tonnes in 2022
Online ISSN: 2009-8723
CSO statistical publication, , 11am
Key Findings
The per capita consumption of Poultry Meat grew by 3kg (+7%) to 41.9kg while it fell for all other meats in 2022. The average consumption of Total Meat was up by almost 1kg per capita to 93.9kg.
The supply of Total Meat rose by 57,000 tonnes (+4%) to 1.48 million tonnes in 2022. Additional Imports accounted for almost 33,000 tonnes of this increase.
Total Slaughterings grew by 24,000 tonnes (+2%) to 1.19 million tonnes. Beef & Veal and Sheep Slaughterings increased in 2022 while the Slaughtering of Pigs (-3,000 tonnes, -1%) and Poultry (-5,000 tonnes, -3%) contracted.
Total Meat Exports rose by 44,000 tonnes (+5%) to 1.01 million tonnes. Beef & Veal accounted for 29,000 tonnes of this increase.
Ireland’s Self-Sufficiency in Total Meat fell to 262%, down 3% on the previous year, due to a drop in the Self-Sufficiency rate for Poultry.
Poultry Meat is the only meat that Ireland is not self-sufficient in. In 2022, we produced just 80% of our domestic requirement for Poultry, a fall of 9% on 2021.
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (12 October 2023) released Meat Supply Balance 2022.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agricultural Accounts and Production Section, said: "This release provides an insight into the source of meat in the Irish market and how this meat is used. Overall, we can see the average consumption of Total Meat was up by almost 1kg per capita to 93.9kg in 2022. The increase was driven by the growth in the consumption of Poultry Meat, which was up by 3kg (+7%) per person to 41.9kg, while consumption of all other meats fell in 2022.
Poultry Meat accounted for 45% of Ireland’s meat consumption, followed by Pig Meat at 32%, Beef & Veal at 20%, and Sheep Meat at just 3%.
The supply of Total Meat rose by 57,000 tonnes (+4%) to 1.48 million tonnes in 2022. Additional Imports accounted for almost 33,000 tonnes of this increase.
Supply
In 2022, the supply of meat grew by 57,000 tonnes to 1.48 million tonnes, a 4% increase on 2021. Of the available supply, Beef & Veal accounted for 45%, followed by Pig Meat at 29% and Poultry Meat at 21%. Sheep Meat accounted for just 5% of Total Meat Supply.
Net Exports
Net exports of Total Meat, which is Exports minus Imports, increased by 2% to 714,000 tonnes. Ireland was a net exporter of Beef & Veal, Pig and Sheep Meat but a net importer of Poultry meat. Imports of Poultry Meat exceeded Exports by 43,000 tonnes.
Self-Sufficiency
The Self-Sufficiency rate, which measures the extent to which domestic meat production can meet domestic demand, increased for all meat types except Poultry. The Self-sufficiency rate for Poultry fell by 9% to 80% and this drop caused the Self-Sufficiency rate for Total Meat to contract by 3% to 262%.”
Main Results
| Table 1.1: Meat Supply Balance, 2022 | |||
| Supply | Exports | Domestic Uses | |
| '000 tonnes (carcass weight equivalent) | |||
| 2020 | 1,461 | 1,020 | 441 |
| 2021 | 1,428 | 962 | 466 |
| 2022 | 1,484 | 1,006 | 479 |
Open in Excel: Meat Supply Balance 2022 Table 1.1 (XLS 10KB)
In 2022, the Supply of Total Meat in Ireland is estimated at 1.48 million tonnes, an increase of 57,000 tonnes (+4%). Beef & Veal accounted for 45% of this Supply while Pig Meat and Poultry Meat made up a further 29% and 21% respectively. The Supply of Sheep Meat accounted for the remaining 5%.
Slaughterings
The volume of Slaughterings grew by 24,000 tonnes (+2%) to 1.19 million tonnes. The Slaughterings of meat types that increased in 2022 were Beef & Veal +27,000 tonnes (+5%) to 621,000 tonnes, and Sheep +5,000 tonnes (+8%) to 68,000 tonnes, while there were decreases in Pig -3,000 tonnes (-1%) to 333,000 tonnes, and Poultry -5,000 tonnes (-3%) to 171,000 tonnes.
Net Exports
Net exports (i.e., Exports minus Imports) of Total Meat rose by 11,000 tonnes (+2%) to 714,000 tonnes. Beef & Veal Net Exports grew by 27,000 tonnes (+5%) to 527,000 tonnes while the Net Export of Sheep Meat was up by 5,000 tonnes (+11%) to 53,000 tonnes. There was no change in the Net Export of Pig Meat, which remained at 177,000 tonnes. Poultry was the only meat type where the volume of imports exceeded exports. The excess of Imports over Exports increased from 21,000 tonnes in 2021 to 43,000 tonnes in 2022.
Human Consumption of Meat
Poultry Meat accounted for 45% of Ireland’s meat consumption, followed by Pig Meat at 32%, Beef & Veal at 20%, and Sheep Meat at just 3%. The per capita Human Consumption of Total Meat grew by almost 1 kg (+1%) to 93.9kg. The reason for this increase was a 7% rise in the consumption of Poultry Meat, which was up 3kg to 41.9kg per person. The average consumption of all other meats declined in 2022, with the largest fall (-5%) being in the consumption of Sheep Meat, which dropped to 2.9kg per person.
| X-axis label | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Beef & Veal | 19.7356721585874 |
| Pig Meat | 32.4616754936516 |
| Sheep Meat | 3.13264637437896 |
| Poultry Meat | 44.670005973382 |
Self-Sufficiency in Meat and Gross Indigenous Production
Ireland’s rate of Self-Sufficiency in Total Meat was 262%, a decline of 3% on 2021. Self-Sufficiency in Beef & Veal Meat (+33% to 694%), Sheep Meat (+35% to 397%) and Pig Meat (+2% to 238%) all increased while the Self-Sufficiency rate for Poultry Meat fell by 9% to 80%.
Gross Indigenous Production (GIP) of Total Meat increased by 21,000 tonnes (+2%) to 1.26 million tonnes in 2022.
Percentage Share of Products in Total GIP
Figure 1.2 shows the percentage share ofeach meat category in total Gross Indigenous Production (GIP) from 2020-2022.
| X-axis label | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef & Veal | 52.8770414047795 | 50.88599814362 | 52.2241687209726 |
| Pig Meat | 28.6370725154684 | 30.3257642601379 | 29.4328675189868 |
| Sheep Meat | 4.52705251575985 | 4.53527169963964 | 4.73540014530632 |
| Poultry Meat | 13.9588335639923 | 14.2529658966025 | 13.6075636147342 |
Table 1.2 Meat Supply Balance 2020–2022
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