Between January and September 2023, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 3.6% when compared with the same period in 2022.
In the first nine months of the year, Sheep slaughterings fell by 0.5% on the same period in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered was down by 10.0% between January and September 2023 when compared with the same nine months in 2022.
An analysis of the data for September 2023 compared with September 2022 shows that Cattle slaughterings declined by 10.5%.
The number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 9.8% in September 2023 when compared with September 2022.
Pig slaughterings contracted by 12.2% in September 2023 compared with September 2022.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - September 2023 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| September 2022 | 171.0 | 311.5 | 301.2 |
| September 2023 | 153.1 | 281.1 | 264.4 |
| % change | |||
| September 2023/2022 | -10.5% | -9.8% | -12.2% |
| Jan-Sep 2023/2022 | -3.6% | -0.5% | -10.0% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to September 2023 are estimated to be almost 1.4m heads, a drop of 51,081 heads (-3.6%) when compared with the same period in 2022.
Between January and September 2023, Sheep slaughterings fell by 12,202 heads (-0.5%) to more than 2.3m heads when compared with the same nine months in 2022.
Pig slaughterings are estimated to be almost 2.5m heads between January and September 2023, down 274,005 heads (-10.0%) on the same period in 2022.
| X-axis label | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1320.841 | 1422.648 | 1371.567 |
| Sheep | 2192.018 | 2360.5064 | 2348.304 |
| Pigs | 2751.369 | 2750.76 | 2476.755 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in September 2023 dropped by 17,958 heads (-10.5%) to 153,064 heads when compared with September 2022.
Sheep slaughterings in September 2023 are estimated at 281,115 heads, down 30,396 heads (-9.8%) when compared with the same month in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in September 2023 contracted by 36,868 heads (-12.2%) to 264,351 heads when compared with September 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 | 156.211 | 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 | 148.946 | 275.778 | 274.192 |
| Jul 2023 | 144.281 | 248.565 | 261.809 |
| Aug 2023 | 162.148 | 281.683 | 287.855 |
| Sep 2023 | 153.064 | 281.115 | 264.351 |
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (26 October 2023) released Livestock Slaughterings September 2023.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings declined by 10.5% to just over 153,000 heads in September 2023 when compared with September 2022. The number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 9.8% to more than 281,000 heads in September 2023 when compared with September 2022 while Pig slaughterings contracted by 12.2% to more than 264,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and September 2023, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 3.6% to almost 1.4m heads while the number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 0.5% to more than 2.3m heads. Pig slaughterings were down by 10.0% to just below 2.5m heads over the same nine-month period."