Bord Bia has launched a new national campaign aimed at supporting Irish apple growers and reducing the country’s dependence on imports — a move designed to cut carbon emissions and strengthen food security.
Ireland currently imports approximately 95% of all apples sold domestically, a figure Bord Bia hopes to dramatically reduce through sustained marketing investment and consumer education. The semi-State agency, responsible for promoting Irish food and horticulture, is committing hundreds of thousands of euros to encourage shoppers to choose Irish-grown apples over imported ones.
The goal is to foster a stronger domestic market that supports growers, sustains rural employment, and encourages new orchard development across the country.
Scaling Up for a Home-Grown Future
One business already banking on this vision is the McCann family of the Boyne Valley, Co. Louth. With roots in the apple industry dating back to the 1960s, Oliver and Kevin McCann made a bold decision four years ago to scale up production in anticipation of rising demand for Irish apples.
In 2021, the father-and-son team planted a 130-acre orchard — now home to over 130,000 trees — marking the largest eating-apple orchard in Ireland. Their operation produces around 3,000 tonnes of apples annually, including Bramley and Golden Delicious, though their flagship crop is Gala — a variety that has not been commercially grown here at scale for more than a decade.
“It’s a variety that’s grown all over the world,” said Oliver McCann. “People thought it wouldn’t grow here — but it’s working.”
The Boyne Valley orchard represents a multi-million-euro investment, one that now enables the McCanns to supply major Irish retailers including Tesco, SuperValu, and Dunnes Stores, as well as the foodservice sector.
