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, Subsector Statistics’.

The report contains comprehensive data on the values of sales, exports, value added and number of employees for each of the ten constituent subsectors of the food and drinks processing sector in 2007 and 2008. These key statistics are supplemented with fifteen performance indicators for each subsector. Provisional estimates of sales and employment are provided for 2009.

In addition to the report, a time-series of data covering the period 1989 – 2008 (2009 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 by 10 per cent from £2,839million in 2007 to £3,126 million in 2008. Provisional estimates suggest that total sales increased by 3.2% in 2009 to £3,228 million.
• The food and drinks processing sector contributed approximately 2.0% of Northern Ireland’s total gross value added in 2008. It accounted for 19.6% of total manufacturing sales, 16.8% of manufacturing external sales and 25.1% of manufacturing employment in 2008.
• The milk and milk products and beef and sheepmeat subsectors continued to be the two largest contributors to total gross turnover in 2008. Together, these subsectors accounted for 49.5% of the total value of gross turnover in 2008; an increase of 1.9 percentage points on their contribution in 2007.
• From 1989 up until 2003, Northern Ireland was continuously recorded as the most important market for the sector. However, since 2004 the British market has become more important; this trend has continued into both 2007 and 2008 with Great Britain accounting for 39% of sales in both years.
• Nine of the ten food and drinks subsectors traded profitably in 2008; the poultrymeat subsector failed to generate a profit.
• The total number of employees in the sector increased by 2.6% between 2007 and 2008, from 18,550 full-time employee equivalents to 19,040 full-time employee equivalents.

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 2008, with provisional estimates for 2009.”
2. The report and time-series data from 1989 – 2008/2009, may be downloaded free of charge from the DARD website
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 656, Dundonald House, Upper Newtownards Road, Ballymiscaw, Belfast BT4 3SB.
4. All media enquiries to DARD Press Office, Tel. 028 9052 4619. Out of office hours, contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5440, and your call will be returned.