Irish food exports to Russia effectively ground to a halt in the first six months of 2015, dropping by 75 per cent, as Moscow's trade war with the West intensified.

Figures supplied by the Central Statistics Office show the value of exports to Russia fell from €96 million to €24 million. Russia initiated a ban on food imports from the West last August in response to sanctions against it over the Ukraine crisis.

Irish exports to Russia fell 30 per cent from €230 million to €145 million last year.

However, the latest half-year numbers reveal an even sharper contraction this year as the full impact of the ban takes hold. Meat exports, which formed the single biggest component of our trade with Russia, fell from €15 million to just €58,000.

The worst-hit sector was pig meat, which accounted for about a sixth of total exports, worth €59 million, prior to the ban. The figures also show that €19 million worth of fish exports fell to zero during the period.

Infant formula

The only exports to maintain a foothold were those relating to edible products and preparations, including infant formula, which are not covered by the ban.

Russia had been one of Ireland’s fastest growing export destinations with the value of food exports jumping 440 per cent between 2009 and 2013.

The ban has been a key factor in depressing dairy and meat prices globally, which has had an even greater affect on the income of farmers here.