Cattle slaughterings increased by 11.5% in September when compared with the same month in 2023, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The data published today (Thursday, October 24) shows that 170,100 cattle were slaughtered last month, up around 17,000 head from the 152,600 recorded in September 2023.

During the same period, the number of sheep slaughtered increased by 2.1% or 5,800 head to 279,700.

While pig slaughterings rose by 3.2% or 8,400 head to 273,000 in the year up to September 2024.

Mairead Griffin, statistician in the CSO Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, noted that cattle slaughterings in the nine months to September 2024 are estimated to be approximately 1.4 million head.

This represents an increase of more than 24,000 head (+1.8%) when compared with the same period in 2023.

Over the first three quarters of 2024, sheep slaughterings contracted by almost 145,000 head (-6.2%) to approximately 2.2 million, when compared with the corresponding period last year.

Pig slaughterings are estimated to be approximately 2.5 million head for January to September 2024, which is an increase of more than 15,000 head (+0.6%) on the same period in 2023.

Meanwhile, the latest figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) show that the number of cows in Ireland as of September 1, 2024, is over 78,000 head below the same date last year.

The largest decline in cow numbers has been seen in the suckler sector where suckler cow numbers have declined by almost 49,000 head in the past year.

Dairy cow numbers have fallen by over 29,500 head in the past 12 months, a stark contrast to the growth trends seen in dairy cow numbers since milk quota abolition in 2015.

There are a number of factors that are likely attributing to the decline in both dairy and suckler cow numbers including weather conditions, changing policy and changing farm systems.