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Between January and May 2025, Cattle slaughterings fell by 1.6% when compared with the same period in 2024 and were down by 10.6% when comparing May 2025 with May 2024.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in the first five months of 2025 rose by 1.6% when compared with the same five months in 2024 and fell by 0.8% in May 2025 when compared with May 2024.
The number of Sheep slaughtered declined by 16.4% in the first five months of 2025 and by 13.2% in May 2025 when compared with the same month in 2024.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - May 2025 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| May 2024 | 150.9 | 214.7 | 287.2 |
| May 2025 | 135.0 | 186.4 | 284.8 |
| % change | |||
| May 2025/2024 | -10.6% | -13.2% | -0.8% |
| Jan-May 2025/2024 | -1.6% | -16.4% | 1.6% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to May 2025 are estimated to be 777,000 heads, a decrease of 12,000 heads (-1.6%) when compared with the same period in 2024.
During this period in 2025, Sheep slaughterings fell by 191,000 heads (-16.4%) to 973,000 heads when compared with the same five months in 2024.
Pig slaughterings are estimated to be more than 1.4m heads between January and May 2025, up over 22,000 heads (+1.6%) on the same period in 2024.
| X-axis label | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 763.138 | 789.203 | 776.819 |
| Sheep | 1261.163 | 1164.489 | 973.255 |
| Pigs | 1388.548 | 1396.328 | 1418.38 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in May 2025 fell by 16,000 heads (-10.6%) to 135,000 heads when compared with May 2024.
Sheep slaughterings in May 2025 were 186,000 heads, decreasing by 28,000 heads (-13.2%) when compared with the same month in 2024.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in May 2025 declined by 2,000 heads (-0.8%) to 285,000 heads when compared with May 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 | 159.543 | 189.1 | 269.564 |
| Mar 2025 | 158.371 | 202.681 | 274.635 |
| Apr 2025 | 159.16 | 205.9 | 291.206 |
| May 2025 | 134.966 | 186.357 | 284.756 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (25 June 2025) published Livestock Slaughterings May 2025.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings decreased by 10.6% to 135,000 heads in May 2025 when compared with May 2024. During the same period, the number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 13.2% to 186,000 heads, while Pig slaughterings declined by 0.8% to 285,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and May 2025, Cattle slaughterings contracted by 1.6% to 777,000 heads while the number of Sheep slaughtered declined by 16.4% to 973,000 heads. Pig slaughterings increased by 1.6% to more than 1.4m heads over the same five-month period."