Bord Bia data published this week shows that April 2025 was the strongest-ever month for Irish food, drink and horticulture exports by value. The total for the month, at €1.622bn, was €10m higher than the previous record of €1.612bn set in September 2022.

The previous record was set during the height of the supply chain crisis in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when prices rapidly rose amid global shortages.

The changes which have been seen in global demand dynamics – which have happened since September 2022 – can be seen in the difference in how the record was achieved in April and which products were driving it (see Figure 1).

Winners and losers

It might come as a surprise to see that the biggest drop in value between September 2022 and April 2025 came in dairy exports. Much of that drop, however, was caused by the fall-off in exports of skim and whole milk powder as well as infant formula, driven by changes in the Chinese market.

The biggest winner between September 2022 and April 2025 has been prepared consumer foods, a food export sector which has seen steady growth in recent years as shoppers in the key UK increasingly opt for easy dining options.

Butter exports survive Trump

There were fears about food exports to the US in April, and indeed the headline number from the Central Statistics Office for total Irish exports to the US in April showed a huge drop from the previous month, plunging to €9.7bn from March’s €25.7bn, exports of Irish butter to the US bucked the trend to move substantially higher in the month. Data from Bord Bia shows that Irish butter exports to the US increased by 62% to €50.4m in April. This total is the fourth-highest-ever for butter exports to the US, only surpassed in September, October and November of 2024 (see Figure 2).

A spokesperson for Ornua, which exports butter to the US under the Kerrygold brand, said that “growth in exports to the US during the first half of the year has been driven by a combination of factors including higher demand and increased availability of supply compared to the same period last year. We continue to carefully manage our inventory in what remains a complex global trading environment”.

There was less good news for whiskey and liquor exports as they were both lower in April, with whiskey exports falling to €32.9m, down from €52m the previous month and liquor slipping €2.5m to €21.7m.

However, the levels seen in March had been elevated by orders ahead of the imposition of tariffs and there were also some seasonality effects as March traditionally has been a strong month for drinks exports to the US.