Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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462. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he remains satisfied regarding the future of the beef industry while at the same time meeting carbon reduction deadlines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17293/22]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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472. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which the future for Irish lamb remains attractive in both the export and domestic markets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17303/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 462 and 472 together.

While slaughter levels were slightly down for both beef and sheep in 2021, prices were up on the previous year.

For beef, the total annual slaughter figure at the end of 2021 was 1.66 million head which represents a 5% decrease on 2020 levels of 1.75 million head. The average 2021 R3 Steer price of 407.95c/kg was 12.5% above the 2020 average price of 362.71c/kg. Central Statistics Office (CSO) data shows an increase in value of beef exports of 3% to €2.4 billion 2021 in spite of a reduction in volume of 14% in comparison to 2020.

Teagasc forecasts that EU beef supply will decline in 2022 and that UK supply will remain unchanged. The outlook for Irish beef exports to EU27 and the UK remains generally positive for 2022 according to Bord Bia. Global market demand seems set to remain good with tight global supplies.

The Teagasc Sustainability Survey shows that the top performing third of farms emitted, on average, 9.6 kg CO2 equivalent per kg beef, compared with 14.9 kg for the bottom performing third of cattle farms. Reducing this variability is a real opportunity to make progress in reducing emissions from cattle production in Ireland with positive economic dividend on the farms concerned.

Schemes such as the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) and Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme-Sucklers (BEEP-S) are focused on improving the carbon efficiency of the beef herd.

For sheep, total slaughtering for 2021 was 5% down on 2020 at 2,720,467 head. The average 2021 price of 664.49c/kg was 28% above the 2020 average price of 519.27c/kg. Tighter global and EU supplies of sheepmeat, combined with firm demand, resulted in a positive market for Irish sheep­meat during 2021. According to CSO data, the value of sheepmeat exports increased strongly for the second consecutive year, rising by 8.3% to €385 in 2021. This was despite a drop of 9.9% in export volumes over the same period.

Tighter global supplies of sheep­meat and the redistribution of global supplies have helped drive higher export values for Irish exporters and these trends seem set to continue in 2022.

Enhancing access for Irish sheep meat in third country markets remains a key component of my Department’s market access goals. The Irish food industry is well positioned to gain from the opportunities presented by expanding global demand for high-quality Irish beef and lamb.