Between January and June 2023, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.6% when compared with the same period in 2022.
In the first six months of the year, Sheep slaughterings were up by 4.6% on the same period in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered contracted by 10.5% between January and June 2023 when compared with the same six months in 2022.
An analysis of the data for June 2023 compared with June 2022 shows that Cattle slaughterings rose by 3.5%.
The number of Sheep slaughtered grew by 8.8% in June 2023 compared with June 2022.
Pig slaughterings declined by 9.1% in June 2023 compared with June 2022.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - June 2023 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| June 2022 | 144.6 | 253.0 | 301.7 |
| June 2023 | 149.7 | 275.3 | 274.2 |
| % change | |||
| June 2023/2022 | 3.5% | 8.8% | -9.1% |
| Jan-Jun 2023/2022 | -2.6% | 4.6% | -10.5% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to June 2023 are estimated at 912,787 heads, a decrease of 24,331 heads (-2.6%) when compared with the same period in 2022.
Between January and June 2023, Sheep slaughterings were up by 67,713 heads (+4.6%) to more than 1.5m heads when compared with the same six months in 2022.
Pig slaughterings are estimated at 1.7m heads between January and June 2023, down 196,042 heads (-10.5%) on the same period in 2022.
| X-axis label | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 847.851 | 937.118 | 912.787 |
| Sheep | 1304.366 | 1468.4824 | 1536.195 |
| Pigs | 1816.276 | 1858.824 | 1662.782 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in June 2023 rose by 5,086 heads (+3.5%) to 149,688 heads when compared with June 2022.
Sheep slaughterings in June 2023 are estimated at 275,287 heads, up 22,276 heads (+8.8%) compared with the same month in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in June 2023 contracted by 27,417 heads (-9.1%) to 274,246 heads when compared with June 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 | 236.348 | 320.496 |
| Jun 2022 | 144.602 | 253.011 | 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 | 134.283 | 249.322 | 250.596 |
| May 2023 | 153.745 | 250.096 | 288.251 |
| Jun 2023 | 149.688 | 275.287 | 274.246 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (27 July 2023) released Livestock Slaughterings June 2023.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings increased by 3.5% to almost 150,000 heads in June 2023 when compared with June 2022. The number of Sheep slaughtered grew by 8.8% to more than 275,000 heads in June 2023 compared to June 2022 while Pig slaughterings decreased by 9.1% to just over 274,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and June 2023, Sheep slaughterings rose by 4.6% to in excess of 1.5m heads while the number of Cattle slaughtered dropped by 2.6% to 913,000 heads. Pig slaughterings fell by 10.5% to almost 1.7m heads over the same six-month period."