Exports down 1.1% over nine months

Booming agri-food and services exports failed to cushion a big drop in manufacturing exports to leave the overall level of Irish exports down 1.3% to €46.2bn over the third quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2012, according to the Irish Exporters Association (IEA).

The total level of Irish exports are down 1.1% for the first nine months of the year as the country’s main trading partners struggle to return to growth.

Over the nine-month period, manufacturing exports are down 6.7% compared with the first nine months of 2012, while agri-food grew by 8.6% and services grew by 4.8% over the same timeframe.