Ireland’s trade surplus narrowed sharply to EUR 4.6 billion in February 2026 from EUR 13 billion in the same month last year. Exports plunged 36.4% year-on-year to EUR 15.9 billion, weighed down by declines in live animals excluding fish (-16.9%), vegetables and fruits (-17.2%), and crude materials except fuels (-32.1%). Shipments also dropped to the United States (-69.7%), Japan (-56.1%), China (-16.6%), and Switzerland (-64.6%). Meanwhile, imports declined at a softer pace of 6.1% to EUR 11.3 billion, reflecting lower purchases of dairy products and birds’ eggs (-17.6%), cereals and cereal preparations (-22.7%), feeding stuffs for animals excluding unmilled cereals (-20.1%), and tobacco and tobacco manufactures (-27.1%). Imports also fell from the United States (-15.1%), the Netherlands (-13.4%), Germany (-49.6%), and Belgium (-67.3%). In the first two months of the year, the trade surplus totaled EUR 9.4 billion, down sharply from EUR 26.8 billion in the same period last year.
