The future for European dairy exports from Ireland looks promising as exports already crossed €440 million (US$515 million) in 2024, and in 2026, Ireland is launching a €3.2 million (US$3.74 million) campaign to strengthen exports and expand the future prospects of its dairy products in Asia.
Positioning Singapore as the regional hub, the 3-year project runs until 2028 and will focus on building supply resilience and driving new partnerships across Singapore, China and Vietnam.
In Europe, Ireland leads in sustainable dairy production, combining grass-fed farming at scale with advanced science and research and development. Key credentials include 90% of its herds being grass-fed, with 95% of its dairy processors enrolled in Origin Green, the independently verified sustainability programme. Ireland is also ranked 2nd globally in the Food Security Index, underscoring safety and reliability. Ireland also offers state-of-the-art Dairy Processing Technology Centre, which helps to develop functional ingredients for infant formula, medical nutrition, and food innovation.
In 2024, 38% of Irish dairy exports went to the EU (38%), its largest market with Asia (11%) being its 4th largest market after UK (17%) and North America (14%).
For the Southeast Asian market, Ireland exported a total of €237.7 million (US$278.2 million) of dairy products comprising mainly of Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (23%), Infant Food (22%), and Skim Milk Powder (SMP) (22%), See Chart 1.0 below for breakdown of dairy products exported to ASEAN in 2024.
