The volume of industrial production in July was 4.5% lower than in the same month last year, according to the Central Statistics Office. The main factor was a 21% slump in chemicals production.
There was a 3.5% fall in production in the 'modern' sector - which includes technology and chemical companies - and a 6.2% decline in the 'traditional' manufacturing sector.
But the CSO said production for the three months from May to July was up 2.1% compared with the previous three months.
