Between January and February 2023, Cattle slaughterings increased by 2.1% when compared with the same period in 2022.
Sheep slaughterings rose by 4.0% between January and February 2023 when compared with the same period in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered decreased by 8.0% between January and February 2023 when compared with the same period in 2022.
An analysis of the data for February 2023 compared with February 2022 shows that Cattle slaughterings fell by 2.0%.
The number of Sheep slaughtered contracted by 3.2% in February 2023 compared with February 2022.
Pig slaughterings declined by 15.9% in February 2023 compared with February 2022.
Table 1.1 presents analysis on month versus month and year-to-date comparisons of the current year and the previous year's livestock slaughterings. Figure 1.1 shows year-to-date trends of livestock slaughterings from 2021 to 2023.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - February 2023 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| February 2022 | 159.3 | 234.5 | 304.0 |
| February 2023 | 156.0 | 226.9 | 255.5 |
| % change | |||
| February 2023/2022 | -2.0% | -3.2% | -15.9% |
| Jan-Feb 2023/2022 | 2.1% | 4.0% | -8.0% |
| X-axis label | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 271.224 | 303.145 | 309.434 |
| Sheep | 402.771 | 461.352 | 479.83 |
| Pigs | 584.547 | 599.86 | 551.778 |
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Statistician's Comment
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.0% in February 2023 when compared with February 2022. Over that same period, the number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 3.2% while the number of Pigs slaughtered contracted by 15.9%. Further analysis of the data shows that between January and February 2023, slaughterings for Cattle and Sheep increased by 2.1% and 4.0% respectively while Pig slaughterings dropped by 8.0%."