Agricultural production in Ireland
According to FAOSTAT, Ireland produced 1.9 million t of cereals, 184,980 t of vegetables, 29,080 t of fruit and 1.2 million t of meat in 2024. Its largest crops by volume were barley (1.3 million t), wheat (388,510 t) and potatoes (368,340 t).
- Products recorded
- 43
- World #1
- 0
- products
- World top 10
- 6
- products
- Year
- 2024
Among its twelve largest crops, the biggest ten-year change was in dry broad beans and horse beans (+368%), followed by rapeseed (+92%).
Livestock numbers: 6.3 million cattle, 1.5 million pigs, 3.6 million sheep and 7,300 goats.
Totals by group
| Group | Tonnes | World rank | Share | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All cereals | 1,896,580 | 92 | 0.06% | −27% |
| All meat | 1,160,634 | 43 | 0.31% | +15% |
| All roots and tubers | 368,340 | 106 | 0.04% | −3.8% |
| All vegetables | 184,980 | 121 | 0.02% | −19% |
| All pulses | 87,520 | 78 | 0.09% | +325% |
| All fruit | 29,080 | 157 | 0% | −19% |
All products by volume, 2024
| Product | Tonnes | World rank | Share | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skim milk of cows | 5,628,039 | 7 | 3.94% | +77% |
| Barley | 1,282,050 | 22 | 0.9% | −26% |
| Beer | 810,000 | 36 | 0.44% | +1.1% |
| Beef (cattle meat) | 602,600 | 23 | 0.86% | +3.5% |
| Wheat | 388,510 | 65 | 0.05% | −46% |
| Potatoes | 368,340 | 77 | 0.09% | −3.8% |
| Pork (pig meat) | 311,530 | 37 | 0.25% | +23% |
| Butter of cow milk | 299,300 | 6 | 5% | +48% |
| Cheese from whole cow milk | 284,900 | 18 | 1.24% | +56% |
| Whey, dry | 268,500 | 4 | 8.13% | +142% |
| Oats | 226,020 | 24 | 1.01% | +51% |
| Skim milk and whey powder | 167,200 | 7 | 3.55% | +242% |
| Chicken meat | 162,200 | 69 | 0.13% | +84% |
| Whole milk, condensed | 101,700 | 5 | 5.18% | +40,580% |
| Broad beans and horse beans, dry | 82,350 | 14 | 1.32% | +368% |
| Tallow | 74,100 | 17 | 0.9% | +100% |
| Mushrooms | 70,150 | 14 | 0.14% | +0.8% |
| Rapeseed | 65,620 | 38 | 0.07% | +92% |
| Sheep meat | 62,970 | 33 | 0.55% | +9.1% |
| Carrots and turnips | 58,110 | 60 | 0.13% | −2.7% |
| Whole milk powder | 57,000 | 12 | 1.14% | +63% |
| Buttermilk, dry | 23,566 | 9 | 3.6% | +73% |
| Cabbages | 23,030 | 92 | 0.03% | −5.2% |
| Apples | 21,990 | 70 | 0.02% | +12% |
| Cream, fresh | 21,500 | 31 | 0.58% | −6.7% |
| Turkey meat | 16,790 | 24 | 0.33% | +3.7% |
| Margarine and shortening | 14,900 | 52 | 0.11% | −6.9% |
| Pig fat, rendered | 13,500 | 32 | 0.22% | +27% |
| Rapeseed or canola oil, crude | 12,525 | 49 | 0.04% | +18% |
| Cauliflower and broccoli | 9,980 | 50 | 0.04% | −18% |
| Onions, dry | 8,260 | 117 | 0.01% | +62% |
| Strawberries | 6,560 | 49 | 0.06% | −3.5% |
| Lettuce and chicory | 6,140 | 60 | 0.02% | −22% |
| Peas, dry | 5,170 | 59 | 0.04% | +72% |
| Cheese from skimmed cow milk | 3,591 | 34 | 0.13% | −4.0% |
| Leeks | 3,480 | 29 | 0.16% | +105% |
| Tomatoes | 3,330 | 138 | 0% | −21% |
| Soya bean oil | 3,200 | 82 | 0.01% | +39% |
| Spinach | 1,700 | 43 | 0.01% | — |
| Tea, packed | 1,657 | 52 | 0.02% | — |
| Pumpkins and squash | 800 | 112 | 0% | — |
| Raspberries | 430 | 34 | 0.05% | +39% |
| Currants | 100 | 30 | 0.01% | −55% |
Live animals, 2024
Ireland among the world’s producers, 2024
Share of world production by country for the largest crops of Ireland, which is outlined on the map.
Small island states are not drawn at this scale.
Production per person, 2024
Ireland had 5.3 million inhabitants in 2024 (FAOSTAT estimate). Production of its largest products per inhabitant, compared with the world average:
| Product | kg per person | World, kg per person | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skim milk of cows | 1,071 | 17.5 | 61.2× |
| Barley | 244 | 17.4 | 14.0× |
| Beer | 154 | 22.7 | 6.8× |
| Beef (cattle meat) | 115 | 8.55 | 13.4× |
| Wheat | 73.9 | 97.8 | 0.8× |
| Potatoes | 70.1 | 47.8 | 1.5× |
| Pork (pig meat) | 59.3 | 15.4 | 3.9× |
| Butter of cow milk | 57.0 | 0.73 | 77.7× |
| Cheese from whole cow milk | 54.2 | 2.82 | 19.3× |
| Whey, dry | 51.1 | 0.40 | 126.3× |
| Oats | 43.0 | 2.75 | 15.6× |
| Skim milk and whey powder | 31.8 | 0.58 | 55.1× |
Production divided by population; it is not consumption, because crops are traded and used for feed, processing and industry.
Trade in agricultural products, 2024
Ireland reported exports of 155 and imports of 185 of the products covered here.
Largest exports by value
| Product | Tonnes | Value | USD/kg | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butter of cow milk | 242,406 | USD 1.76 bn | 7.26 | 3 of 113 |
| Cheese from whole cow milk | 290,511 | USD 1.50 bn | 5.16 | 8 of 123 |
| Skim milk and whey powder | 151,838 | USD 433 m | 2.85 | 8 of 110 |
| Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled | 46,729 | USD 412 m | 8.81 | 4 of 82 |
| Beer of barley, malted | 563,262 | USD 358 m | 0.63 | 7 of 149 |
| Meat of pig with the bone, fresh or chilled | 118,671 | USD 333 m | 2.81 | 11 of 81 |
| Whey, dry | 135,572 | USD 241 m | 1.78 | 7 of 79 |
| Mushrooms and truffles | 57,374 | USD 188 m | 3.27 | 5 of 93 |
| Meat of buffalo, fresh or chilled | 24,475 | USD 161 m | 6.57 | 2 of 10 |
| Edible offal of cattle, fresh, chilled or frozen | 50,160 | USD 148 m | 2.94 | 10 of 92 |
Largest imports by value
| Product | Tonnes | Value | USD/kg | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw milk of cattle | 725,254 | USD 384 m | 0.53 | 5 of 188 |
| Wine | 107,719 | USD 363 m | 3.37 | 19 of 192 |
| Maize (corn) | 1,497,661 | USD 358 m | 0.24 | 32 of 190 |
| Cheese from whole cow milk | 68,780 | USD 288 m | 4.19 | 25 of 192 |
| Beer of barley, malted | 260,300 | USD 259 m | 1.00 | 11 of 192 |
| Meat of chickens, fresh or chilled | 67,114 | USD 249 m | 3.71 | 50 of 189 |
| Palm oil | 103,803 | USD 150 m | 1.44 | 56 of 191 |
| Wheat | 564,298 | USD 140 m | 0.25 | 62 of 176 |
| Barley | 528,573 | USD 113 m | 0.21 | 14 of 132 |
| Bananas | 94,465 | USD 79.8 m | 0.84 | 33 of 139 |
FAOSTAT detailed trade data, release of 23 July 2026: quantities in tonnes and values in current US dollars as reported; exports include re-exports. Only the FAO trade items that match Husfarm production pages are included: meat covers fresh or chilled meat only (frozen meat is a separate item), and processed goods such as milled rice or flour are not listed.
Questions and answers
What are the main crops produced in Ireland?
By volume, the largest products of Ireland in 2024 were skim milk of cows (5.6 million t), barley (1.3 million t), beer (810,000 t), according to FAOSTAT.
Is Ireland the world’s largest producer of anything?
Not in 2024. Its highest world rank was 4th, for whey, dry.
How much skim milk of cows does Ireland produce per person?
About 1,071 kg per inhabitant in 2024, compared with a world average of 17.5 kg (production divided by population, FAOSTAT).
What does Ireland export most?
By value, its largest agricultural exports in 2024 among the products covered here were butter of cow milk (USD 1.76 bn), cheese from whole cow milk (USD 1.50 bn), skim milk and whey powder (USD 433 m), according to FAOSTAT.
What does Ireland import most?
By value, its largest agricultural imports in 2024 among the products covered here were raw milk of cattle (USD 384 m), wine (USD 363 m), maize (corn) (USD 358 m).
Where does this data come from?
Production, trade and population figures are from FAOSTAT, the statistics database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rankings, shares and per-person figures are calculated by Husfarm.
Source: FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products. Accessed on 4 November 2026. fao.org/faostat. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Charts, rankings and changes calculated by Husfarm.