Between January and April 2025, Cattle slaughterings grew by 0.5% when compared with the same period in 2024 and were up by 2.6% when comparing April 2025 with April 2024.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in the first four months of 2025 rose by 2.2% when compared with the same four months in 2024 and grew by 6.6% in April 2025 when compared with April 2024.
The number of Sheep slaughtered declined by 17.4% in the first four months of 2025 and increased by 1.3% in April 2025 when compared with the same month in 2024.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - April 2025 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| April 2024 | 155.0 | 200.5 | 273.2 |
| April 2025 | 159.0 | 203.1 | 291.2 |
| % change | |||
| April 2025/2024 | 2.6% | 1.3% | 6.6% |
| Jan-Apr 2025/2024 | 0.5% | -17.4% | 2.2% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to April 2025 are estimated to be almost 642,000 heads, an increase of more than 3,000 heads (+0.5%) when compared with the same period in 2024.
During this period in 2025, Sheep slaughterings fell by approximately 166,000 (-17.4%) to over 784,000 heads when compared with the same four months in 2024.
Pig slaughterings are estimated to be more than 1.1m heads between January and April 2025, up over 24,000 heads (+2.2%) on the same period in 2024.
| X-axis label | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 609.306 | 638.288 | 641.675 |
| Sheep | 1010.839 | 949.834 | 784.174 |
| Pigs | 1100.283 | 1109.148 | 1133.599 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in April 2025 rose by 4,000 heads (+2.6%) to 159,000 heads when compared with April 2024.
Sheep slaughterings in April 2025 were 203,000 heads, increasing by approximately 3,000 heads (+1.3%) when compared with the same month in 2024.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in April 2025 increased by 18,000 heads (+6.6%) to 291,000 heads when compared with April 2024.
| X-axis label | Cattle | Sheep | Pigs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | 166.064 | 259.978 | 298.046 |
| Feb 2024 | 164.074 | 217.306 | 264.223 |
| Mar 2024 | 153.142 | 272.044 | 273.695 |
| Apr 2024 | 155.008 | 200.506 | 273.184 |
| May 2024 | 150.915 | 214.655 | 287.18 |
| Jun 2024 | 127.644 | 221.549 | 245.527 |
| Jul 2024 | 157.667 | 256.52 | 297.317 |
| Aug 2024 | 151.044 | 275.493 | 283.108 |
| Sep 2024 | 170.155 | 277.153 | 273.32 |
| Oct 2024 | 187.609 | 257.833 | 294.167 |
| Nov 2024 | 174.488 | 188.422 | 296.104 |
| Dec 2024 | 147.678 | 207.22 | 262.132 |
| Jan 2025 | 164.762 | 189.222 | 298.219 |
| Feb 2025 | 159.537 | 189.113 | 269.564 |
| Mar 2025 | 158.359 | 202.693 | 274.635 |
| Apr 2025 | 159.017 | 203.146 | 291.181 |
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 (28 May 2025) published Livestock Slaughterings April 2025.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings increased by 2.6% to 159,000 heads in April 2025 when compared with April 2024. During the same period, the number of Sheep slaughtered rose by 1.3% to 203,000 heads, while Pig slaughterings grew by 6.6% to approximately 291,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and April 2025, Cattle slaughterings grew by 0.5% to almost 642,000 heads while the number of Sheep slaughtered contracted by 17.4% to approximately 784,000 heads. Pig slaughterings increased by 2.2% to over 1.1m heads over the same four-month period."