Compared with June 2022:
The final results for June 2023 show that the total number of Sheep in the country decreased by 293,200 (-4.9%) to 5,674,400. Breeding Sheep decreased by 4,400 (-0.1%) to 3,049,600 while Other Sheep fell by 288,900 (-9.9%) to 2,624,800.
The total number of Cattle decreased by 54,700 to 7,341,500 (-0.7%). Male Cattle two years and over increased by 9.4%, while Male Cattle one-two years decreased by 4.5%.
Pig numbers increased by 26,500 (+1.6%) to 1,661,300. Breeding Pigs rose by 8,400 (+6.1%) and Other Pigs grew by 18,100 (+1.2%).
The area under Total Cereals fell by 16,300 hectares (ha) (-5.6%) to 272,400 ha.
The final figures for June 2023 show that the Area Farmed fell by 158,700 ha to 4,189,200 ha (-3.7%) when compared with June 2022. The area under Crops and Pasture dropped to 3,368,500 ha, a decrease of 376,900 ha (-10.1%).
| X-axis label | Potatoes | Winter wheat | Spring wheat | Winter oats | Spring oats | Winter barley | Spring barley |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % Change | -3.3 | -15.3 | -32.6 | -33.9 | 32.1 | -28.2 | 14.5 |
The Crops and Pasture regional area data in June 2023 shows that the highest area was in the Mid-West region (602,600 ha). The total area under Cereals was down by 16,300 ha to 272,400 ha (-5.6%) which was mainly due to a decrease in the area of Winter Cereals (-23.6%). The Mid-East and Dublin region had the highest area under Cereals (89,300 ha).
The total Cattle numbers were down by 54,700 (-0.7%) to 7,341,500. The number of Dairy Cows was up by 19,300 (+1.2%) while the number of Other Cows dropped by 41,000 (-4.5%) when compared with June 2022.
The total Sheep numbers decreased by 293,200 (-4.9%) to 5,674,400, while Other Sheep dropped by 288,900 (-9.9%) to 2,624,800.
The total Pig numbers increased by 26,500 (+1.6%) to 1,661,300 and similarly, Other Pigs rose by 18,100 (+1.2%) to 1,515,700.
The total number of Sheep in the State in June 2023 was 5,674,400. The highest numbers were observed in the Northern and Western region.
The total number of Pigs was 1,661,300 with the highest numbers seen in the Southern region.
The total number of Cattle was 7,341,500 in June 2023, with the highest number (3,985,900) in the Southern region.
Explore the Census of Agriculture data for the last 20 years
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (27 March 2024) released the Crops and Livestock Survey Final Results June 2023.
Commenting on the release, Sophie Emerson, Statistician in the Agriculture Division, said: "The final results for June 2023 show that the total number of Sheep in the country decreased by 293,200 (-4.9%) to 5,674,400 when compared with June 2022. The number of Other Sheep fell by 288,900 (-9.9%) to 2,624,800.
The total number of Cattle in the country decreased by 54,700 (-0.7%) to 7,341,500 when compared with June 2022. The total number of Dairy Cows grew by 19,300 (+1.2%) while the total number of Other Cows fell by 41,000 (-4.5%). The total number of Cattle aged two years and over rose by 56,100 (+7.6%) in the year since 2022. The total number of Cattle under two years fell by 87,200 (-2.1%).
A regional analysis of the livestock numbers shows that the largest number of Cattle (1,472,600) was in the Mid-West region, the largest number of Sheep (1,623.900) was in the West region and the largest number of Pigs (498,900) was in the Midland region.
Regarding the three main cereals, the land areas under winter wheat, winter oats and winter barley have decreased by 9,200 ha (-15.3%), 5,100 ha (-33.9%) and 20,800 ha (-28.2%) respectively. The areas under spring cereals have increased compared with June 2022."