Between January and May 2023, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 3.9% when compared with the same period in 2022.
In the first five months of the year, Sheep slaughterings increased by 3.6% on the same period in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered fell by 10.8% between January and May 2023 when compared with the same five months in 2022.
An analysis of the data for May 2023 compared with May 2022 shows that Cattle slaughterings contracted by 1.7%.
The number of Sheep slaughtered rose by 5.2% in May 2023 compared with May 2022.
Pig slaughterings dropped by 10.1% in May 2023 compared with May 2022.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - May 2023 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| May 2022 | 154.8 | 236.3 | 320.5 |
| May 2023 | 152.2 | 248.7 | 288.2 |
| % change | |||
| May 2023/2022 | -1.7% | 5.2% | -10.1% |
| Jan-May 2023/2022 | -3.9% | 3.6% | -10.8% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to May are estimated at 761,637 heads, a decrease of 30,879 heads (-3.9%) when compared with the same period in 2022.
Between January and May 2023, Sheep slaughterings were up by 43,956 heads (+3.6%) to almost 1.3m heads when compared with the same five months in 2022.
Pig slaughterings are estimated at 1.4m heads between January and May 2023, down 168,706 heads (-10.8%) on the the same period in 2022.
| X-axis label | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 708.632 | 792.516 | 761.637 |
| Sheep | 1048.762 | 1215.4716 | 1259.428 |
| Pigs | 1509.338 | 1557.161 | 1388.455 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in May 2023 fell by 2,600 heads (-1.7%) to 152,160 heads when compared with May 2022.
Sheep slaughterings in May 2023 are estimated at 248,721 heads, an increase of 12,373 heads (+5.2%) compared with the same month in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in May 2023 contracted by 32,304 heads (-10.1%) to 288,192 heads when compared with May 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 | 236.348 | 320.496 |
| Jun 2022 | 144.602 | 253.011 | 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 | 165.366 | 286.567 | 298.181 |
| Apr 2023 | 134.368 | 249.303 | 250.575 |
| May 2023 | 152.16 | 248.721 | 288.192 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (27 June 2023) released Livestock Slaughterings May 2023.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings decreased by 1.7% to just over 152,000 heads in May 2023 when compared with May 2022. Over that same period, the number of Sheep slaughtered grew by 5.2% to almost 249,000 heads and Pig slaughterings contracted by 10.1% to just over 288,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and May 2023, Sheep slaughterings increased by 3.6% to almost 1.3m heads while the number of Cattle declined by 3.9% to nearly 762,000 heads. However, pig slaughterings fell by 10.8% to just under 1.4m heads over the same period."