Between January and August 2023, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.7% when compared with the same period in 2022.
In the first eight months of the year, Sheep slaughterings were up by 0.7% on the same period in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered was down by 9.7% between January and August 2023 when compared with the same eight months in 2022.
An analysis of the data for August 2023 compared with August 2022 shows that Cattle slaughterings declined by 3.1%.
The number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 7.0% in August 2023 when compared with August 2022.
Pig slaughterings contracted by 4.2% in August 2023 compared with August 2022.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - August 2023 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| August 2022 | 166.5 | 298.7 | 300.3 |
| August 2023 | 161.4 | 277.8 | 287.7 |
| % change | |||
| August 2023/2022 | -3.1% | -7.0% | -4.2% |
| Jan-Aug 2023/2022 | -2.7% | 0.7% | -9.7% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to August 2023 are estimated at more than 1.2m heads, a decrease of 33,858 heads (-2.7%) when compared with the same period in 2022.
Between January and August 2023, Sheep slaughterings were up by 14,079 heads (+0.7%) to almost 2.1m heads when compared with the same eight months in 2022.
Pig slaughterings are estimated at more than 2.2m heads between January and August 2023, down 237,304 heads (-9.7%) on the same period in 2022.
| X-axis label | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1157.603 | 1251.626 | 1217.768 |
| Sheep | 1893.712 | 2048.9954 | 2063.074 |
| Pigs | 2438.638 | 2449.541 | 2212.237 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in August 2023 decreased by 5,120 heads (-3.1%) to 161,429 heads when compared with August 2022.
Sheep slaughterings in August 2023 are estimated at 277,781 heads, down 20,893 heads (-7.0%) when compared with the same month in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in August 2023 contracted by 12,619 heads (-4.2%) to 287,720 heads when compared with August 2022.
| X-axis label | Cattle | Sheep | Pigs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2022 | 143.874 | 226.888 | 295.894 |
| Feb 2022 | 159.271 | 234.464 | 303.966 |
| Mar 2022 | 173.419 | 251.976 | 324.738 |
| Apr 2022 | 161.192 | 265.796 | 312.067 |
| May 2022 | 154.76 | 236.3476 | 320.496 |
| Jun 2022 | 144.602 | 253.0108 | 301.663 |
| Jul 2022 | 147.959 | 281.839 | 290.378 |
| Aug 2022 | 166.549 | 298.674 | 300.339 |
| Sep 2022 | 171.022 | 311.511 | 301.219 |
| Oct 2022 | 167.767 | 276.403 | 280.884 |
| Nov 2022 | 179.987 | 288.906 | 322.905 |
| Dec 2022 | 141.236 | 271.261 | 280.985 |
| Jan 2023 | 153.474 | 252.711 | 296.318 |
| Feb 2023 | 156.269 | 222.126 | 255.189 |
| Mar 2023 | 165.328 | 286.653 | 298.182 |
| Apr 2023 | 134.284 | 249.349 | 250.594 |
| May 2023 | 153.791 | 250.222 | 288.258 |
| Jun 2023 | 148.933 | 275.802 | 274.191 |
| Jul 2023 | 144.26 | 248.43 | 261.785 |
| Aug 2023 | 161.429 | 277.781 | 287.72 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (26 September 2023) released Livestock Slaughterings August 2023.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings fell by 3.1% to just over 161,000 heads in August 2023 when compared with August 2022. The number of Sheep slaughtered contracted by 7.0% to almost 278,000 heads in August 2023 when compared with August 2022 while Pig slaughterings decreased by 4.2% to almost 288,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and August 2023, Sheep slaughterings rose by 0.7% to almost 2.1m heads while the number of Cattle slaughtered dropped by 2.7% to more than 1.2m heads. Pig slaughterings fell by 9.7% to more than 2.2m heads over the same eight-month period."