Between January and March 2025, Cattle slaughterings fell by 0.1% when compared with the same period in 2024 and were up by 3.5% when comparing March 2025 with March 2024.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in the first three months of 2025 rose by 0.8% when compared with the same three months in 2024 and grew by 0.3% in March 2025 when compared with March 2024.
The number of Sheep slaughtered declined by 22.6% in the first three months of 2025 and by 25.8% in March 2025 when compared with the same month in 2024.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - March 2025 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| March 2024 | 153.1 | 272.0 | 273.7 |
| March 2025 | 158.5 | 201.9 | 274.6 |
| % change | |||
| March 2025/2024 | 3.5% | -25.8% | 0.3% |
| Jan-Mar 2025/2024 | -0.1% | -22.6% | 0.8% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to March 2025 are estimated to be almost 483,000 heads, a decrease of around 500 heads (-0.1%) when compared with the same period in 2024.
During the same period in 2025, Sheep slaughterings fell by approximately 169,000 (-22.6%) to more than 580,000 heads when compared with the same three months in 2024.
Pig slaughterings are estimated to be 842,000 heads between January and March 2025, up over 6,000 (+0.8%) heads on the same period in 2024.
| X-axis label | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 475.022 | 483.28 | 482.797 |
| Sheep | 761.49 | 749.328 | 580.222 |
| Pigs | 849.689 | 835.964 | 842.4 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in March 2025 rose by more than 5,000 heads (+3.5%) to over 158,000 heads when compared with March 2024.
Sheep slaughterings in March 2025 were approximately 202,000 heads, down by over 70,000 heads (-25.8%) when compared with the same month in 2024.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in March 2025 increased by almost 1,000 heads (+0.3%) to approximately 275,000 heads when compared with March 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 | 158.498 | 201.887 | 274.617 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (25 April 2025) published Livestock Slaughterings March 2025.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings increased by 3.5% to more than 158,000 heads in March 2025 when compared with March 2024. During the same period, the number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 25.8% to almost 202,000 heads, while Pig slaughterings grew by 0.3% to approximately 275,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and March 2025, Cattle slaughterings fell by 0.1% to almost 483,000 heads, while the number of Sheep slaughtered contracted by 22.6% to approximately 580,000 heads. Pig slaughterings increased by 0.8% to more than 842,000 heads over the same three-month period."