Ireland : a land of resources and traditions

Also known as the Emerald Isle, Ireland is a welcoming country with many traditions, very diverse scenery and wild natural areas. Ireland's culture, gastronomy and an economy open to the world are shaped by its long history.

Ireland is an island located to the west of the United Kingdom and north-west of the European continent. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Irish Sea to the south-east and the Celtic Sea to the south. The Republic of Ireland (Eire) occupies the southern part of the island and 84% of the surface area (70 300 km2). It is made up of four provinces (Leinster, Munster, Connacht or Connaught, and a part of Ulster), divided in turn into twenty six counties since the island's partition in 1921. Its population amounts to 4 446 000 inhabitants with 1 300 000 in the capital, Dublin. Northern Ireland (Ulster) with its capital, Belfast, is still a part of the United Kingdom since 1952 and it has six counties in a surface area of 14 120 km2. English is the majority language and only a few people speak Gaelic fluently. A vast plain of carboniferous limestone stretches over the centre of the island, surrounded by low altitude mountains (the highest point is mount Carrantuohill at 1041 m). There are many lakes, rivers and peat bogs and the longest river is the Shannon (386 km). The climate is temperate, with mild summers, and cold, rainy winters. The temperatures in the east and centre are colder than in the west, which benefits from the effect of the Gulf Stream. The subsoil is rich in gold, silver, gypsum, calcite, dolomite and zinc in particular, the largest European production. Its history dates back to 9 000 years B.C. when the first inhabitants arrived from northern Europe. In the 4th century BC the Celtic civilisation (Gaelic) established itself on the island for almost a thousand years. Ireland’s history is painfully marked by the Viking invasions, colonisation by the English and religious conflicts (Catholics and Protestants). In the 14th century the great famine threatened the population with extinction, leading to a massive emigration to North America. Ireland lost two thirds of Ulster and became a dominion in 1921, and the Republic of Ireland was proclaimed in 1949. Ireland is a parliamentary democracy where the president is elected by universal suffrage for seven years. The legislative power is exercised by the national parliament (Oireachtas) composed of the president of the house of deputies (Dail Eireann) and the senate (Seanad Eireann). Mrs Mary Mc Aleese is the president (re-elected in 2004) and Mr Brian Cowen has been Prime Minister since 2008.

An economy based on exports

The food industry sector accounts for 6.6% of the Irish economy and 16% of industrial production. The principal destinations are the United Kingdom (45%), continental Europe (32%) and the rest of the world (23%). The food industry products exported are dairy products (28%), cattle (21%), ready-made dishes (18%), and beverages (15%). Confectionery and chocolate exports totalled €269 million in 2008.
The production of processed meat and poultry exceeded €850 million (2008) and exports totalled €400 million. Processed poultry represents nearly 70% of exports, with the United Kingdom the primary destination. Furthermore, 90% of the 1.6 million head slaughtered are exported and represent €2.58 billion.

An efficient agriculture

A reputable animal husbandry

Top quality dairy products

A wealth of seafood

Ireland is Europe’s largest prawn producer (400 tons). Fished on the south and west coast, they are exported to France and Spain.  Ireland is also the largest European producer of periwinkles, mainly for export to France.
The clean, unpolluted waters off the Irish coastline are favourable for aquaculture, particularly the farming of cupped oysters, mussels, sea trout and salmon.
Introduced in the 1970s, the production of cupped oysters is around 7 000 tons/year (second largest EU producer after France) and benefits from a certified quality label. Ireland is also a producer of renowned flat oysters.
The production of mussels (40 000 tons a year, including 30 000 tons of bottom mussels and 10 000 tons of rope mussels) is subject to quality control (EN 45011 standard).
Finally, organic salmon represents 70% of total Irish salmon production (12 000 tons a year). It is the first seafood product to obtain organic certification since 2001.

A generous gastronomy

Following the example of its culture and history, Irish gastronomy has been influenced by the different people who occupied the country. The richness of the land is expressed in a cuisine that is both traditional and innovative. The specialties include Irish stew (made with lamb and vegetables), Irishspiced beef with Guinness (beef with a pepper and cinnamon sauce, served at Christmas), Dublin Coddle (sausages or bacon with onions and potatoes in a broth), Boxty (a thick pancake stuffed with potatoes), coleslaw, oysters & Guinness, mussels in wine sauce, seafood chowder and brown bread (made with butter, sugar and honey). The desserts include plum pudding (cake for Christmas and grand occasions), porter cake (with raisins, spices and Guinness), mince pies and barn brack (cake with candied fruit for Halloween).

Ireland is well-known for its beers and spirits. The principal beers are Guinness (stout brown ale with caramelized flavours dating from 1760), Beamish (commonly consumed stout brown ale), Harp (lager) and Smithwick’s (red beer).
The Irish are the inventors of the famous “whiskey” (from the Gaelic “uisce beatha” meaning “eau de vie”), which is a barley alcohol distilled three times. Jameson and Paddy are among the most widely consumed brands worldwide.
The other famous spirits are Baileys Irish Cream Original (a liqueur made with whiskey and crème fraîche), Poteen (malted 90% proof potato or barley alcohol), Bulmers cider (mild fruity cider served with ice) and Irish coffee (a blend of whiskey, coffee and whipped cream).

Francis Duriez
Source : Bord Bia - Maison d’Irlande, Irish Embassy, BIM, Librairie Gourmande, CCI Franco Irlandaise, Ubifrance)

Pro reviews

Crédit photo : FD

Francis Fauchère
(CEO of SAS Eurodis - Rungis)

“We sell just over 9 000 tons of meat products annually. This primarily concerns beef (beef, veal, etc.), vacuum packed meat, French and imported lamb and suckling pig. Irish meat represents just over 15% of our procurement. Ireland has a top quality national herd composed of cattle that spend eleven months on grazing land. This means standard, regular fattening all year round and good quality meat. We are the exclusive importer of Irish Angus, a pure Irish breed, not very heavy (280 to 340 kg/ carcass), easy to fatten, with a soft, tender, marbled meat that is ideal for the catering trade, especially for the famous T- Bone steak. Ireland is a top quality farming country, which is innovative and listens closely to consumers. It respects the applicable regulations and it is also an excellent trading partner.”

 

Crédit photo : FD

Antoine Boucomont
(Manager of Le Delas - Rungis)

“As a specialist in delicatessen and cooked meat products, we have added fresh beef, mainly of Irish origin, to our 12 000 listed products. We work with A.I.B.P, the largest Irish slaughterhouse, under a brand reserved for us called “Glazan Farm”. This covers a selection of head from crossed breeds that the Irish call “prime cattle”, which guarantees meat conformity and minimum maturation (one week). This is meat from young cattle, which means we can have small cuts perfectly suited to the catering trade, with the right thickness, guaranteed tenderness and constant quality. Actually, we work with Ireland at the request of chefs and restaurant owners, who really like this meat for its undeniable qualities when cooked “medium”. Moreover, the vacuum packed quality is impeccable and the bags are properly shrunk. Ireland represents 25% of our beef department, while the remaining 75% concerns French breeds. We also sell excellent Irish lamb and seafood (crab meat, prawns, etc.). Irish is highly performing farming country and its promotional marketing service, Bord Bia, is very efficient and dynamic.”

 

Crédit photo : Bord Bia

Bernadette Byrne
(Marketing Manager of Bord Bia - Irish Food Board)

“Our mission is to promote Irish farm and food industry products so they are present on the best tables in the world. Employing over a hundred staff in Ireland and abroad, Bord Bia plays a key role in terms of consumer information, communication and promotion, through major international trade shows (SIAL, Sirha, Vinexpo, National Seafood, etc.) and private exhibitions, as well as by organizing events and tasting sessions at sales outlets. Furthermore, Bord Bia is involved in setting up quality certification programmes (EN 45011) with certified farms and operators (beef, lamb, pork, poultry, eggs, etc.) in the context of a sustainable development policy. Attached to its traditions, Ireland is the perfect country for farming and livestock breeding, geared to export (85% for beef and 70% for mutton and lamb). That is why our producers are keen to produce and guarantee the best quality meat in order to satisfy the consumer. In one sentence, I’d say that Ireland is a country blessed by Nature, as shown by the wealth of our farm produce.”

Crédit photo : FD

Alain Raguenes
(Manager in charge of imports at Demarne - Rungis)

“We sell over 23 000 tons of seafood products annually covering over 500 listed products. We have been working with Ireland for almost half a century and we used to mainly import mussels and sea urchins in the old days. Now we handle about 500 tons of mussels a year, mainly farmed, 100 tons of crab (including 75% pre-cooked, refrigerated, vacuum packed and pasteurized), 50 tons of periwinkles and whelk and 15 tons of Saint-Jacques scallops. We also import white fish (cod, hake, haddock, whiting, etc.) for our filleting unit. The Irish have made huge efforts in the last twenty years in terms of quality, research, safety and packaging and Ireland remains a promising country for our procurement in the future.”

Crédit photo : Irish Embassy

Michaël Walsh
(Agricultural attaché to the Irish Embassy in Paris)

“Agriculture (2.5% of GDP) and the food industry sector (6.6% of GDP) are essential for the Irish economy and 80% of our production is exported. We currently have about 150 000 employees working in the food industry sector, including 123 000 in farming and 11 000 employees in the fishing sector. The three mainstays of our agriculture are dairy production, meat production and cereal production. Since the introduction of the CAP, our efforts have mainly focused on the milk and meat industries. In these two fields, our strength and our assets are the quality of our products and our extensive farming. The same is true for the future because the competitiveness here is particularly tough. By 2020, our objective is to sharply increase our production of milk (+50% with the removal of quotas in 2014), beef (+35%), mutton (+20%) and pork (+50%). Our goal and strategy for 2020 is to develop our competitiveness in exports by 20% because exports remain a fundamental area for our economy.”

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