Trade surplus falls 12%

Ireland’s trade surplus fell by 12.4% to €37.25bn last year, the lowest such figure since 2008.

CSO data published yesterday showed that the value of exports in 2013 fell 5% to nearly €86.9bn. Import value grew 1% to €49.6bn.

The US, Britain, Belgium, and Germany qualified as our main trading partners during the year, with an 8% increase in the export of food and live animals noted.