Report on the Northern Ireland food and drinks processing sector

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has published its annual report, “Size and Performance of the Northern Ireland Food and Drinks Processing Sector”.

The report provides comprehensive information on the value of sales, exports, value added and number of employees for each of the ten constituent sub-sectors of the food and drinks processing sector in 2004 and 2005. These key statistics are supplemented with fifteen performance indicators for each sub-sector. Provisional estimates of sales and employment are provided for 2006.

In addition to the report, time-series data covering the period 1989 to 2005 (2006 where available) are published on the DARD website for each of the main size and performance indicators. These will enable users to consider trends in variables of interest.

Some of the report’s key findings include:

• The value of sales for the sector increased from £2,492 million in 2004 to £2,510 million in 2005. Provisional estimates suggest that total sales decreased slightly to £2,494 million in 2006.
• From 1989 to 2003 Northern Ireland had continuously been the most important market for the food and drinks processing sector. In 2004 and 2005 the Great Britain market became more important and accounted for 38% and 39% of sales in these years respectively.
• All ten food and drinks sub-sectors traded profitably in 2005.
• In 2005 the food and drinks processing sector contributed almost 2.1% of Northern Ireland’s total gross value added. However, it made the largest contribution to the manufacturing sector’s gross value added (14%).
• The food and drinks processing sector is the largest contributor to the sales, external sales and employment of the Northern Ireland manufacturing sector, accounting for 18.5% of total manufacturing sales, 15.2% of manufacturing external sales and 23% of manufacturing employment in 2005.
• The food and drinks processing sector made the second largest contribution to Northern Ireland’s total manufacturing export sales, accounting for 13.5% of total manufacturing export sales in 2005.
• Employment in the sector increased slightly between 2004 and 2005, with approximately 18,700 full-time employee equivalents in the sector in 2005. However, in 2006, it fell by 1.8% to 18,372 employees.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. This statistical press release relates to the annual report “Size and Performance of the Northern Ireland Food and Drinks Processing Sector, Subsector Statistics 2005, with provisional estimates for 2006.”
2. The report and time-series data from 1989 – 2005/2006, may be downloaded free of charge from the DARD website at: www.dardni.gov.uk/northern-ireland-food-drinks-processing-sector
3. If a hard copy of the report is required, it may be obtained, price £6 including postage and packaging, from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Policy and Economics Division, Room 810, Dundonald House, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 3SB.
4. The report was prepared by Karen Collins, Policy and Economics Division, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
5. All media enquiries to DARD Press Office, tel. 028 9052 4619. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5440 and your call will be returned.