A Limerick correspondent of The London Telegraph, on May 15, 1918, sent
that newspaper the following table of Irish food exports to England,
with other information not before made public:
_Values of Foodstuffs Imported Into and Retained for Consumption
in Great Britain from Undermentioned Countries. (Figures for 1917
are not available.)_
1912. 1913. 1914. 1915. 1916.
Millions Millions Millions Millions Millions
£ £ £ £ £
Ireland 30 36 37 46 59
United States 30 30 42 82 116
Argentina 31 31 27 46 36
Canada 18 19 23 27 41
British India 22 17 13 22 20
Denmark 20 22 23 20 20
New Zealand 9 9 11 16 18
Netherlands 14 16 17 14 13
Australia 13 15 16 12 10
Russia 17 15 13 8 1
This shows that for years Ireland's food supply to Great Britain was
only exceeded by that of the United States of America, whose people,
now fighting with us, probably will want more in future for themselves.
As regards the quantities of foodstuffs exported to Great Britain from
Ireland, the following table speaks:
P.C.
Average, Average, Inc.
1912-13. 1916-17. or Dec.
Live cattle, number 832,000 889,000 +6.9
Live sheep, number 639,000 700,000 +9.5
Live pigs, number 233,000 239,000 +2.6
Butter, tons 37,000 36,000 -4.0
Eggs, tons 56,000 69,000 +23.2
Poultry, tons 15,000 14,500 -3.3
Bacon and hams, tons 61,000 54,000 -11.5
Oats, tons 67,000 85,000 +26.9
Potatoes, tons 150,000 173,000 +15.3
Biscuits, tons 17,000 21,000 +23.5
Yeast, tons 7,000 11,000 +57.1
Cond. milk, tons 13,000 12,000 -7.7
The following shows the quantities of foodstuffs, as nearly as
possible, imported from foreign countries and British possessions, and
is the latest we could obtain:
------Average.------- P.C.
1912-13. 1916. Inc.
Tons. Tons. or Dec.
Beef, fresh 423,000 353,000 -16.5
Mutton 256,000 182,000 -28.9
Pork 20,000 15,000 -25.0
Meat, preserved
(mostly tinned beef) 44,000 94,000 +113.6
Butter 201,000 107,000 -46.8
Eggs 180,000 51,000 -71.7
Bacon and hams 252,000 407,000 +61.5
Potatoes 373,000 85,000 -77.2
Condensed milk 57,000 65,000 +14.0
Margarine 68,000 130,000 +91.2
Wheat 5,003,000 4,620,000 -7.6
Barley 310,000 256,000 -17.4
Oats 890,000 617,000 -30.7
Rice 204,000 425,000 +108.3
Maize 1,614,000 1,198,000 -25.8
It must be remembered that Ireland has now no foreign imports, and
has to feed herself as well as help Great Britain. She consumes only
one-fourth of her own cattle, and with only 10 per cent. of the
population supplies 40 per cent. of the cattle and 30 per cent. of the
pigs of the United Kingdom, despite shortage of imported cattle cakes,
&c., formerly obtainable. Ireland also, by her position with regard to
Great Britain, minimizes loss by U-boats, and by her proximity also
makes more trips possible, and consequently more cargoes landed in a
short time than is possible by any foreign nation or British possession.
As regards increased tillage, under the 1918 orders it is required that
in holdings of over ten acres the area under cultivation this year must
be 15 per cent. of the total arable land of the holding, in addition
to that under cultivation in 1916, and in the case of holdings of over
200 acres 20 per cent. of the arable area. The result is that at the
present time there are well over 1,000,000 more acres under cultivation
than in 1916, a large proportion of such cultivation being voluntary.
In County Limerick alone the area under corn crops shows an increase
of 148 per cent., and that of all green crops, potatoes, mangolds, and
turnips, of 33 per cent.