PRODUCT CLASSIFICATION
Horses are a part of Live animals, a category that includes Pure-bred Breeding Horses, Non-breeding Horses, Live Donkeys, Mules and Crossbreeds. They’re herbivorous, social and intelligent mammals, domesticated by humans for thousands of years for numerous reasons, for example transportation and agricultural work, before the invention of machines, or used during battles as war horses or by cavalry. Today, they are common in activities related to sports and in pet therapy, which is a type of therapy that involves them to help patients improve their mental, emotional or physical health.
They have a Product Complexity index of -0.023, ranking 579 out of 1044 products in 2023.
This post will not consider the Horses trade in general, but it will be focused on the Irish market, the second largest exporter of this product in the world, just behind China.
EXPORT
In 2023, Ireland exported an amount of $611M worth of Horses, becoming the 2nd largest exporter of this category out of 134 countries in the world, with an estimated percentage of 16.1 of share in global export; during the same year, Horses were the 36th most exported product in Ireland out of 1207 products.
The main destinations of the countries’ exports were:
- United Kingdom - $432M;
- United States - $59.6M;
- Japan - $38.6M;
- France - $37.6M;
- Australia - $7.35M.
IMPORT
In 2023 it was estimated that Ireland imported around $309M of Horses, becoming the 4th largest importer of the product in the world out of 161 countries, with an 8.15% share in global imports; during the same year, Horses were the 65th most imported product in the country out of 1213 products.
They were imported primarily from
- United Kingdom - $216M;
- United States - $33.3M;
- France - $32.1M;
- Belgium - $18.5M;
- Germany - $4.27M.
GROWTH POTENTIAL
According to the source, the destinations with the highest export growth potential for Horses from Ireland are China, with an estimated +$3.55M, followed by France, with +$1.4M, and Germany, around +$1.31M.
On the other hand, between 2022 and 2023, the fastest growing markets for Horses imports and exports in Ireland were the following:
MARKETS FOR HORSES EXPORTS
- United Kingdom - $175M;
- France - $26.9M;
- Japan - $14.9M.
MARKETS FOR HORSE IMPORTS
- United States - $16M;
- Belgium - $8.35M;
- Bulgaria - $757k.
CONCLUSIONS
Ireland is the second largest exporter of Horses in the world, just behind China, but its leading role isn’t just about numbers! It’s a country where Horses are a part of the culture, with a deep bond that connects them and the people.
Whether they’re used in sport, therapy, work or companionship, these animals carry a mark of Ireland’s legacy and history wherever they go.
Source: https://oec.world/en
