Between January and February 2025, Cattle slaughterings fell by 1.6% when compared with the same period in 2024 and were down by 2.4% when comparing February 2025 with February 2024.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in the first two months of 2025 was up by 1.0% when compared with the same two months in 2024 and grew by 2.0% in February 2025 when compared with February 2024.
The number of Sheep slaughtered declined by 20.0% in the first two months of 2025 and by 11.5% in February 2025 when compared with the same month in 2024.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - February 2025 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| Feb 2024 | 164.1 | 217.3 | 264.2 |
| Feb 2025 | 160.1 | 192.3 | 269.6 |
| % change | |||
| Feb 2025/2024 | -2.4% | -11.5% | 2.0% |
| Jan-Feb 2025/2024 | -1.6% | -20.0% | 1.0% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to February 2025 are estimated to be over 324,000 heads, a decrease of more than 5,000 (-1.6%) heads when compared with the same period in 2024.
During the same period in 2025, Sheep slaughterings decreased by almost 96,000 (-20.0%) to nearly 382,000 heads when compared with the same two months in 2024.
Pig slaughterings are estimated to be approximately 568,000 heads for January and February 2025, up around 6,000 (+1.0%) heads on the same period in 2024.
| X-axis label | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 309.694 | 330.138 | 324.695 |
| Sheep | 474.837 | 477.284 | 381.615 |
| Pigs | 551.507 | 562.269 | 567.791 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in February 2025 fell by nearly 4,000 heads (-2.4%) to more than 160,000 heads when compared with February 2024.
Sheep slaughterings in February 2025 were approximately 192,000 heads, down by just over 25,000 heads (-11.5%) when compared with the same month in 2024.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in February 2025 increased by more than 5,000 heads (+2.0%) to approximately 270,000 heads when compared with February 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 | 174.486 | 188.441 | 296.104 |
| Dec 2024 | 147.67 | 209.309 | 262.132 |
| Jan 2025 | 164.583 | 189.325 | 298.205 |
| Feb 2025 | 160.112 | 192.29 | 269.586 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (27 March 2025) published Livestock Slaughterings February 2025.
Commenting on the release, Cathal Byrne, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.4% to more than 160,000 heads in February 2025 when compared with February 2024. During the same period, the number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 11.5% to more than 192,000 heads, while Pig slaughterings increased by 2.0% to approximately 270,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that during January and February 2025, Cattle slaughterings fell by 1.6% to over 324,000 heads while the number of Sheep slaughtered contracted by 20.0% to approximately 382,000 heads. Pig slaughterings increased by 1.0% to almost 568,000 heads over the same two-month period."