Between January and March 2024, Cattle slaughterings rose by 1.7% when compared with the same period in 2023.
In the first three months of the year, Sheep slaughterings decreased by 1.7% on the same period in 2023.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in the year to March 2024 fell by 1.6% when compared with the same three months in 2023.
An analysis of the data for March 2024 compared with March 2023 shows that Cattle slaughterings contracted by 7.4%.
The number of Sheep slaughtered declined by 5.5% in March 2024 when compared with the same month in 2023.
Pig slaughterings dropped by 8.2% in March 2024 when compared with March 2023.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - March 2024 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| March 2023 | 165.3 | 286.7 | 298.2 |
| March 2024 | 153.1 | 270.9 | 273.7 |
| % change | |||
| March 2024/2023 | -7.4% | -5.5% | -8.2% |
| Jan-Mar 2024/2023 | 1.7% | -1.7% | -1.6% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to March 2024 are estimated to be above 483,000 heads, an increase of more than 8,000 heads (+1.7%) when compared with the same period in 2023.
During the same period, Sheep slaughterings decreased by approximately 13,000 heads (-1.7%) to just under 748,500 heads when compared with the same three months in 2023.
Pig slaughterings are estimated to be just under 836,000 heads for January to March 2024, down nearly 14,000 heads (-1.6%) on the same period in 2023.
| X-axis label | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 476.564 | 475.022 | 483.22 |
| Sheep | 713.328 | 761.49 | 748.472 |
| Pigs | 924.598 | 849.689 | 835.887 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in March 2024 decreased by over 12,000 heads (-7.4%) to more than 153,000 heads when compared with March 2023.
Sheep slaughterings in March 2024 were approximately 271,000 heads, down by nearly 16,000 heads (-5.5%) when compared with the same month in 2023.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in March 2024 fell by almost 25,000 heads (-8.2%) to approximately 274,000 heads when compared with March 2023.
| X-axis label | Cattle | Sheep | Pigs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2023 | 153.475 | 252.711 | 296.318 |
| Feb 2023 | 156.219 | 222.126 | 255.189 |
| Mar 2023 | 165.328 | 286.653 | 298.182 |
| Apr 2023 | 134.284 | 249.349 | 250.594 |
| May 2023 | 153.832 | 250.324 | 288.265 |
| Jun 2023 | 148.922 | 275.714 | 274.184 |
| Jul 2023 | 144.298 | 248.769 | 261.821 |
| Aug 2023 | 162.138 | 281.767 | 287.852 |
| Sep 2023 | 152.644 | 273.86 | 264.895 |
| Oct 2023 | 174.86 | 277.641 | 271.633 |
| Nov 2023 | 181.631 | 293.386 | 307.246 |
| Dec 2023 | 142.859 | 256.257 | 255.717 |
| Jan 2024 | 166.01 | 259.931 | 298.02 |
| Feb 2024 | 164.097 | 217.647 | 264.209 |
| Mar 2024 | 153.113 | 270.894 | 273.658 |
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (25 April 2024) released Livestock Slaughterings March 2024.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings dropped by 7.4% to just over 153,000 heads in March 2024 when compared with March 2023. During the same period, the number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 5.5% to approximately 271,000 heads, while Pig slaughterings were down by 8.2% to almost 274,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and March 2024, Cattle slaughterings rose by 1.7% to over 483,000 heads while the number of Sheep slaughtered decreased by 1.7% to approximately 748,000 heads. Pig slaughterings fell by 1.6% to almost 836,000 heads over the same three-month period."