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Livestock Slaughterings September 2023

The number of pigs slaughtered between January and September 2023 fell by 10.0%

Online ISSN: 2009-5651
CSO statistical publication, , 11am

Key Findings

  • 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. 

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." 

Main Results

Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - September 2023
 CattleSheepPigs
'000 heads
September 2022171.0311.5301.2
September 2023153.1281.1264.4
 % change
September 2023/2022-10.5%-9.8%-12.2%
Jan-Sep 2023/2022-3.6%-0.5%-10.0%

Year-to-Date findings: January 2023–September 2023

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 label202120222023
Cattle1320.8411422.6481371.567
Sheep2192.0182360.50642348.304
Pigs2751.3692750.762476.755

Monthly findings: September 2023

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 labelCattleSheepPigs
Jan 2022143.874226.888295.894
Feb 2022159.271234.464303.966
Mar 2022173.419251.976324.738
Apr 2022161.192265.796312.067
May 2022154.76236.3476320.496
Jun 2022144.602253.0108301.663
Jul 2022147.959281.839290.378
Aug 2022166.549298.674300.339
Sep 2022171.022311.511301.219
Oct 2022167.767276.403280.884
Nov 2022179.987288.906322.905
Dec 2022141.236271.261280.985
Jan 2023153.474252.711296.318
Feb 2023156.211222.126255.189
Mar 2023165.328286.653298.182
Apr 2023134.284249.349250.594
May 2023153.831250.324288.265
Jun 2023148.946275.778274.192
Jul 2023144.281248.565261.809
Aug 2023162.148281.683287.855
Sep 2023153.064281.115264.351
Table 1.2: Livestock Slaughterings September 2023

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