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Between January and July 2025, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 4.5% when compared with the same period in 2024 and were down by 24.5% when comparing July 2025 with July 2024.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in the first seven months of 2025 grew by 2.8% when compared with the same seven months in 2024 and rose by 2.2% in July 2025 when compared with July 2024.
The number of Sheep slaughtered declined by 16.3% in the first seven months of 2025, and fell by 20.9% in July 2025 when compared with the same month in 2024.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - July 2025 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| July 2024 | 157.7 | 256.5 | 297.3 |
| July 2025 | 119.1 | 202.8 | 303.7 |
| % change | |||
| July 2025/2024 | -24.5% | -20.9% | 2.2% |
| Jan-Jul 2025/2024 | -4.5% | -16.3% | 2.8% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to July 2025 are estimated to be 1.0m heads, a decrease of 49,000 heads (-4.5%) when compared with the same period in 2024.
During this period in 2025, Sheep slaughterings fell by 267,000 heads (-16.3%) to 1.4m heads when compared with the same seven months in 2024.
Pig slaughterings are estimated to be 2.0m heads between January and July 2025, up 54,000 heads (+2.8%) on the same period in 2024.
| X-axis label | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1056.358 | 1074.514 | 1025.761 |
| Sheep | 1785.646 | 1642.558 | 1375.479 |
| Pigs | 1924.553 | 1939.172 | 1992.733 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in July 2025 decreased by 39,000 heads (-24.5%) to 119,000 heads when compared with July 2024.
Sheep slaughterings in July 2025 were 203,000 heads, a reduction of 54,000 heads (-20.9%) when compared with the same month in 2024.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in July 2025 rose by 6,000 heads (+2.2%) to approximately 304,000 heads when compared with July 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 | 164.779 | 189.217 | 298.219 |
| Feb 2025 | 159.561 | 189.112 | 269.565 |
| Mar 2025 | 158.402 | 202.779 | 274.643 |
| Apr 2025 | 159.439 | 205.981 | 291.214 |
| May 2025 | 135.088 | 185.913 | 284.817 |
| June 2025 | 129.409 | 199.676 | 270.562 |
| Jul 2025 | 119.083 | 202.801 | 303.713 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (28 August 2025) published Livestock Slaughterings July 2025.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section said: "Cattle slaughterings decreased by 24.5% to 119,000 heads in July 2025 when compared with July 2024. During the same period, the number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 20.9% to 203,000 heads, while Pig slaughterings were up by 2.2% to approximately 304,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and July 2025, Cattle slaughterings contracted by 4.5% to 1.0m heads while the number of Sheep slaughtered decreased by 16.3% to 1.4m heads. Pig slaughterings increased by 2.8% to 2.0m heads over the same seven-month period."