COVID-19 has strengthened the bond many Irish consumers have with their pets, as more time spent at home has allowed them to spend more time with their pets. In turn, pets have also been cited as helping to alleviate some of the isolation that consumers have felt during the lockdown. This deeper relationship with pets will see the trend of pets being considered family accelerate, and in turn potentially see consumers more willing to splash out on their pets.

Moving forward the economic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown may take its toll on spending on pets, and see affected consumers more likely to trade down to cheaper pet foods, or more basic types of pet insurance. However, with pets more likely to be treated as members of the family, long term opportunities for premium spending on pets is only likely to improve.

• The impact of COVID-19 on spending on pets and interactions with pets.

• How working at home has impacted on consumers’ relationships with their pets.

• Purchasing of pet foods and the influence of health and sustainability on pet food.

• Usage and types of pet insurance among Irish pet owners.

• The continued evolution of pets into ‘members of the family’.

This update on the impact that COVID-19 is having on the market was prepared on 24 September, 2020.

In the Republic of Ireland (RoI), the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in February though numbers were small, with the first death related to COVID-19 not recorded until 13 March, 2020. RoI was put into lockdown on 12 March.

The first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the UK at the end of January, with a small number of cases in February. As the case level rose, the UK government ordered the closure of non-essential stores on 20 March, which was adopted in Northern Ireland (NI) and the region went into lockdown.

Lockdown had eased in July 2020 but both NI and RoI have been placed under tighter restrictions In late September/ Early October as case numbers increased again as a second wave of the virus became reality. Retailers, restaurants and pubs (excluding ‘wet pubs’) across IoI were given the go-ahead to reopen in July 2020 but foodservice has since closed as of September 2020 in Dublin only (at the time of writing). Facemasks are mandatory (as of August/September 2020) in many establishments and on public transport.

This Report also looks at owners’ concerns regarding their pets. This includes consumer data relating to types of pets owned, types of pet food used, accessories bought and insurance coverage.

The market size in this Report comprises estimated NI and RoI retail sales of pet food for cats and dogs through all retail channels. Please note that in some cases data has been unavailable thus estimates have been used based on UK spending on pet food and per-capita ownership of pets.

Excluded from market-size data is healthcare and accessories such as items for home grooming, collars, leashes, toys, chews, bedding, feeding equipment and litter, and over-the-counter flea/tick treatments and prescription medicines. Pets themselves as well as services for pets, such as boarding, grooming, training and veterinary services, and pet insurance are also excluded from the market size and from this Report.