Between January and November 2023, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.4% when compared with the same period in 2022.
In the first 11 months of the year, Sheep slaughterings fell by 0.6% on the same period in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered was down by 8.9% between January and November 2023 when compared with the same 11 months in 2022.
An analysis of the data for November 2023 compared with November 2022 shows that Cattle slaughterings increased by 0.8%.
The number of Sheep slaughtered rose by 0.2% in November 2023 when compared with November 2022.
Pig slaughterings contracted by 5.2% in November 2023 compared with November 2022.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - November 2023 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| November 2022 | 180.0 | 288.9 | 322.9 |
| November 2023 | 181.4 | 289.5 | 306.3 |
| % change | |||
| November 2023/2022 | 0.8% | 0.2% | -5.2% |
| Jan-Nov 2023/2022 | -2.4% | -0.6% | -8.9% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to November 2023 are estimated to be more than 1.7m heads, a drop of 43,042 heads (-2.4%) when compared with the same period in 2022.
Between January and November 2023, Sheep slaughterings fell by 17,121 heads (-0.6%) to just over 2.9m heads when compared with the same 11 months in 2022.
Pig slaughterings are estimated to be almost 3.1m heads between January and November 2023, down 299,372 heads (-8.9%) on the same period in 2022.
| X-axis label | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1651.015 | 1770.402 | 1727.36 |
| Sheep | 2719.668 | 2925.8154 | 2908.694 |
| Pigs | 3390.678 | 3354.549 | 3055.177 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in November 2023 increased by 1,378 heads (+0.8%) to 181,365 heads when compared with November 2022.
Sheep slaughterings in November 2023 are estimated at 289,539 heads, up 633 heads (+0.2%) when compared with the same month in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in November 2023 decreased by 16,631 heads (-5.2%) to 306,274 heads when compared with November 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 | 156.211 | 222.126 | 255.189 |
| Mar 2023 | 165.328 | 286.653 | 298.182 |
| Apr 2023 | 134.284 | 249.349 | 250.594 |
| May 2023 | 153.831 | 250.324 | 288.265 |
| Jun 2023 | 148.922 | 275.714 | 274.184 |
| Jul 2023 | 144.298 | 248.769 | 261.821 |
| Aug 2023 | 162.125 | 281.761 | 287.852 |
| Sep 2023 | 152.641 | 273.889 | 264.874 |
| Oct 2023 | 174.881 | 277.859 | 271.624 |
| Nov 2023 | 181.365 | 289.539 | 306.274 |
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (21 December 2023) released Livestock Slaughterings November 2023.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings increased by 0.8% to over 181,000 heads in November 2023 when compared with November 2022. The number of Sheep slaughtered rose by 0.2% to nearly 290,000 heads in November 2023 when compared with November 2022, while Pig slaughterings contracted by 5.2% to over 306,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and November 2023, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.4% to more than 1.7m heads while the number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 0.6% to just over 2.9m heads. Pig slaughterings were down by 8.9% to approximately 3.1m heads over the same 11-month period."