Compared with December 2022:
Pig numbers fell by 162,800 (-10.4%) to 1,407,600.
Breeding Pig numbers were down slightly (-0.6%) to 126,800.
Cattle numbers dropped by 25,900 (-0.4%) to 6,526,000.
Male Cattle aged two years and over increased by 22,900 (+18.9%).
Provisional Sheep numbers are estimated at 3,995,000, a decrease of 23,000 (-0.6%).
| X-axis label | Percentage Change |
|---|---|
| Total Cattle | -0.4 |
| Total Pigs | -10.4 |
| Total Sheep | -0.6 |
Total Cattle was down by 25,900 (-0.4%) to 6,526,000. Cattle two years and over increased by 43,700 (+13.0%) with Male Cattle showing the largest increase of 22,900 (+18.9%) and Female Cattle rising by 20,700 (+9.6%). Dairy Cows increased marginally from 1,510,300 to 1,510,900 while Other Cows decreased by 43,200 (-5.0%).
The total number of Pigs dropped by 162,800 to 1,407,600 (-10.4%). Breeding Pigs were down from 127,500 to 126,800 (-0.6%). Sows in Pig fell by 9,800 (-13.5%) with Gilts in Pig rising by 2,100 (+13.6%). Other Pigs dropped by 162,100 (-11.2%) with Pigs 80kg and over showing the largest decrease of 47,900 (-15.0%).
The total number of Sheep fell by 23,000 (-0.6%) to 3,995,000. Rams increased by 3,800 (+4.4%) with Ewes decreasing by 66,700 (-2.5%). Other Sheep rose by 39,900 (+3.2%) to 1,305,600.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) today (13th February 2024) released Livestock Survey December 2023.
Commenting on the release, Donal Kelly, Senior Statistician in the Agriculture Section of the CSO, said:
"The total number of Cattle in the country was down by 0.4% in December 2023 compared with the same period last year. The number of Dairy Cows rose slightly to 1,510,900 (+500) while the number of Other Cows fell by 43,200 (-5.0%). The total number of Cattle aged one-two years fell by 6,300 (-0.4%) while Cattle aged two years and over (excluding cows and bulls) rose by 43,700 (+13%).
The total number of Pigs fell by 10.4% in December 2023 to 1.4 million, its lowest level since 1991. The numbers of both Breeding Pigs and Non-Breeding Pigs were down by 0.6% and 11.2% respectively with the largest drop in the 'Non-Breeding Pigs 80 kg and over' category (-15.0%). The number of Breeding Pigs in the country (126,800) were at their lowest level since December 1988.
The provisional figures for the total number of Sheep showed a decrease of 23,000 (-0.6%) compared with December 2022. The number of Breeding Sheep was down by 62,900 (-2.3%) while the number of Other Sheep rose by 39,900 (+3.2%)."