IFA Aquaculture Reaction to BIM Seafood Report

Commenting on the BIM Business of Seafood Report for 2022, IFA Aquaculture Chairman Michael Mulloy said the increase of 13% in value of Irish seafood can mainly be attributed to the high value of Irish organic salmon, oysters and rope mussels.

“They all showed strong recovery in demand and sales in 2022, despite the many challenges for the sector over the past few years, including the rising cost of inputs, labour shortages and market instability,” he said.

Irish Aquaculture production is showing a value increase of 10% due to increased demand for seafood, despite a marginal growth in production volume by 1%.

The value of Irish organic salmon increased to €124m, up 13% from 2021, with the value of Irish oysters increasing to €51m, an increase of 8%. Rope mussels also benefited from strong price growth to increase in value by 7% to €9m.

The report also shows significant losses in the trout and bottom mussel sectors, which could be attributed to the loss of sales to the UK market due to Brexit.

“The report demonstrates the importance of the Irish aquaculture sector in terms of value and high-quality produce in the Irish seafood industry post-Brexit. Irish Aquaculture has a vital role to play in meeting the increasing demand for seafood produce and providing employment in coastal communities,” he concluded.