Ireland sees dramatic change in livestock exports
Calves from Ireland are no longer in demand in several key markets across the EU, according to the latest Bor Bia market insight. The numbers of animals exported to the Netherlands or Spain have dropped dramatically in the last couple of weeks. "Demand for calves from each of the key markets has weakened significantly. For the most recent week ending April 12th, just 1,500 Irish calves were sent to the Netherlands, down from 3,000 the previous week. During the same week in 2019, the equivalent figure was 6,700 Irish calves. This dramatic reduction reflects significant difficulties in the Dutch veal sector, which is highly reliant on the European foodservice sector, particularly in Italy, France and Germany. Similarly, calf exports to Spain have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there were 4,200 Irish calves sent there in the week ending April 5th, this figure then dropped to just 850 last week. The equivalent weekly figure at this period in 2019 was almost 5,000 head," said the report.
Some of the losses may be offset by exports to the international markets such as those to Algeria, Turkey and Libya, which are supposed to increase demand over the coming months.
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