Biosector exports earn 2.5 times more per €100

In 2008, every €100 of products exported from the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries brought €52 of net foreign earnings into Ireland.

In terms of net foreign earnings, this was about two and a half times better than our other export industries, which returned only €19 for every €100 of exports.

Lower import requirements per euro of exports, and higher receipts of EU payments, are the main reasons for the better contribution to net foreign earnings from what economists call the ‘biosector’, which includes the food and beverage industries.