AGM Statement

CRH PLC
09 May 2007

9 May 2007



UPDATING STATEMENT



CRH plc, the international building materials group, is issuing this update on
current trading conditions in conjunction with its Annual General Meeting which
is being held today at 3.00 pm in Dublin.



Overall trading in the first four months of the year is ahead of last year with
a particularly strong start from our operations in Europe. Development activity
has been brisk with approximately euro 400 million invested in acquisitions and
investments, including the recently announced purchase of a 50% stake in Denizli
Cement in Turkey. We expect that the acquisition of publicly-quoted Swiss
builders merchanting group, Getaz Romang, will be completed by end-May adding a
further euro 350 million to development spend.



Europe Materials has benefited significantly to date from very favourable
seasonal weather conditions and a continuing positive demand and pricing
environment in most of its major markets. In Ireland construction continues at a
high level with lower activity in residential construction offset by a strong
non-residential sector and accelerating infrastructure investment. Our
operations in Finland and the Baltic states have continued to experience
broad-based growth and the new clinker line at the Lappeenranta plant has
commenced production.  Demand across our Polish activities has been
exceptionally strong while our cement operation in the Ukraine has also enjoyed
a positive start helped by the new coal mill. In Switzerland, cement sales are
well ahead of 2006 as are volumes in our downstream readymixed concrete,
aggregates and asphalt businesses.   In Iberia, our Spanish readymixed concrete
and concrete products operations have enjoyed a favourable start, achieving good
success in the recovery of higher input costs which had impacted margins in
2006; however, our Portuguese joint venture Secil has experienced further
reductions in construction activity in its home market which continues to be
impacted by cutbacks in public expenditure.



In Europe Products, improving economies and favourable building conditions
through the winter months have contributed to a marked uplift in operating
performance. Our Concrete Products group has enjoyed good growth across its
structural concrete operations and a more substantial advance in its
architectural business, helped particularly by a strong pick-up in its German
concrete paving and landscape walling activities.  Results to date in the Clay
Products group are well ahead with lower energy costs and the absence of the
extensive production shutdowns which impacted performance in UK and German
activities in early 2006. In Building Products, our Construction Accessories
businesses have outperformed with very positive trading to date; Insulation
operations have continued to build on the improvement recorded in 2006; the
strategically linked Fencing & Security (F&S), Daylight & Ventilation (D&V) and
Roller Shutters & Awnings (RSA) businesses have seen good growth particularly in
their Dutch and German markets.



Europe Distribution has also delivered a much improved performance thus far in
2007. Our Builders Merchanting activities in Netherlands, France, Germany and
Switzerland are trading well with strong sales and operating profit advances
through the first four months of the year. Our business in Austria, which had a
disappointing outturn in the first half of 2006, has continued the improvement
evident in the second half.  After a moderate 2006, sales growth in our Benelux
DIY activities has accelerated in recent months.



In the United States, the severe weather conditions experienced in many of
Americas Materials' markets to date have been in contrast to the mild weather
which boosted trading across these operations in the first half of last year.
However, the highway construction season in these markets is, as normal, just
getting underway and, with encouraging backlogs, we anticipate that the strong
pricing environment evident in 2006 will be maintained in the current year. The
integration of Ashland Paving And Construction (APAC) is continuing with good
progress on the ongoing realisation of synergies across its operations. APAC's
trading performance in the first four months of 2007 has been ahead of
expectations.  The priority for Americas Materials in 2007 is to continue the
improving underlying trend in operating margin evident in its 2005 and 2006
results, through the achievement of efficiency gains, cost reduction and
additional price improvement.



Our Americas Products operations have had a challenging start with the ongoing
decline in new residential markets since mid 2006 leading to tough first half
comparatives. This has been most evident in the Architectural Products Group's
(APG) masonry markets and in MMI's residential-oriented fencing activities.
However, APG's bagged soil and mulch activities, which disappointed in 2006,
have shown a good improvement to date while the Glen Gery clay brick operation
is benefiting from lower energy input costs relative to 2006.  Our mainly
non-residential focussed Precast and Glass groups are continuing to benefit from
the ongoing advance in non-residential construction, with backlogs in the
Precast Group in particular substantially ahead of last year's levels. Our South
American operations are performing well.



Demand in the Americas Distribution Group's roofing & siding and interior
products businesses has been impacted by the harsh winter weather, the decline
in new residential construction and price deflation in a number of product
segments. In addition the Florida roofing & siding repair maintenance and
improvement (RMI) market has slowed, having experienced exceptionally strong
demand from late 2004 through mid-2006 due to extensive storm damage during the
2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons  These circumstances have been partly offset by
a good performance from the six acquisitions completed in 2006.



The year has started well with a strong performance across our European
activities outweighing more challenging conditions in the Americas. Overall
Group results to date are ahead of this time last year. With a continuing
positive backdrop for Europe Materials and improvements in Europe Products &
Distribution's main markets, we look to step up the pace of organic profit
growth in Europe in 2007.  In the Americas, while the severe winter weather
patterns and the ongoing decline in new residential construction will affect
first half trading comparisons, we expect that comparatives in the more
important second half should be easier. This, combined with continuing growth in
non-residential construction and a favourable funding and pricing backdrop for
infrastructure, should ensure a satisfactory overall Americas result for 2007.



CRH's unique geographic, sectoral and product balance, with new US residential
construction accounting for less than 10% of the Group overall, has continued to
deliver strongly to date in 2007 both in terms of overall trading performance
and development activity. While a weaker US Dollar will impact adversely on the
translation of our US profits, with an ongoing focus on price and cost
effectiveness, benefits from the record 2006 acquisition spend and a sustained
development emphasis, we expect to achieve further progress in 2007.



This updating statement contains certain forward-looking statements as defined
under US legislation. By their nature, such statements involve uncertainty; as a
consequence, actual results and developments may differ from those expressed in
or implied by such statements depending on a variety of factors including the
specific factors identified in this trading update and other factors discussed
in our Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC.



Contact CRH at Dublin 404 1000 ([phone])



Liam O'Mahony, Chief Executive
Myles Lee, Finance Director
Eimear O'Flynn, Head of Investor Relations
Maeve Carton, Group Controller



CRH plc, Belgard Castle, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, Ireland
TELEPHONE [phone] FAX [phone]
E-MAIL [e-mail] WEBSITE www.crh.com
Registered Office, 42 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2, Ireland


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange