Between January and July 2023, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.6% when compared with the same period in 2022.
In the first seven months of the year, Sheep slaughterings were up by 2.0% on the same period in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered were down by 10.4% between January and July 2023 when compared with the same seven months in 2022.
An analysis of the data for July 2023 compared with July 2022 shows that Cattle slaughterings declined by 2.2%.
The number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 11.9% in July 2023 when compared with July 2022.
Pig slaughterings contracted by 9.8% in July 2023 compared with July 2022.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - July 2023 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| July 2022 | 148.0 | 281.8 | 290.4 |
| July 2023 | 144.7 | 248.3 | 261.9 |
| % change | |||
| July 2023/2022 | -2.2% | -11.9% | -9.8% |
| Jan-Jul 2023/2022 | -2.6% | 2.0% | -10.4% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to July 2023 are estimated at nearly 1.1m heads, a decrease of 28,248 heads (-2.6%) when compared with the same period in 2022.
Between January and July 2023, Sheep slaughterings were up by 34,886 heads (+2.0%) to almost 1.8m heads when compared with the same seven months in 2022.
Pig slaughterings are estimated at over 1.9m heads between January and July 2023, down 224,563 heads (-10.4%) on the same period in 2022.
| X-axis label | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1001.807 | 1085.077 | 1056.829 |
| Sheep | 1610.611 | 1750.3214 | 1785.207 |
| Pigs | 2131.256 | 2149.202 | 1924.639 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in July 2023 decreased by 3,216 heads (-2.2%) to 144,743 heads when compared with July 2022.
Sheep slaughterings in July 2023 are estimated at 248,278 heads, down 33,561 heads (-11.9%) compared with the same month in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in July 2023 contracted by 28,471 heads (-9.8%) to 261,907 heads when compared with July 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 | 156.269 | 222.126 | 255.189 |
| Mar 2023 | 165.328 | 286.653 | 298.182 |
| Apr 2023 | 134.284 | 249.349 | 250.594 |
| May 2023 | 153.779 | 250.216 | 288.258 |
| Jun 2023 | 148.952 | 275.874 | 274.191 |
| Jul 2023 | 144.743 | 248.278 | 261.907 |
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 (24 August 2023) released Livestock Slaughterings July 2023.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.2% to almost 145,000 heads in July 2023 when compared with July 2022. The number of Sheep slaughtered contracted by 11.9% to more than 248,000 heads in July 2023 compared with July 2022 while Pig slaughterings decreased by 9.8% to almost 262,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and July 2023, Sheep slaughterings rose by 2.0% to almost 1.8m heads while the number of Cattle slaughtered dropped by 2.6% to nearly 1.1m heads. Pig slaughterings fell by 10.4% to over 1.9m heads over the same seven-month period."