Ireland imported almost €2 billion worth of fruit and vegetables last year while the number of domestic horticultural growers kept falling, the latest trade figures show. Imports totalled €1.97 billion in 2025 against exports of €492.5 million, a deficit of about €1.47 billion.

By volume Ireland exported 258,392 tonnes and imported 1.19 million tonnes, more than four and a half times as much. Earlier this month the Climate Change Advisory Council warned of Ireland's "high reliance on the importation of fruit and vegetables" and recommended that the Department of Agriculture review the potential of Irish horticulture to reduce the food security risk.

Growers face rising costs and pressure on incomes. Last week Teagasc said the severe drought of July and August had "placed exceptional pressure on outdoor field vegetable production", and noted that France reported losses of up to 100 percent on some unirrigated cauliflower, broccoli and lettuce crops. "2026 was not an anomaly. It was a rehearsal, and not just for Ireland," Teagasc said, calling it a supply chain and food security question.

Photo: David Wright / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Source: Agriland