Between January and October 2023, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.8% when compared with the same period in 2022.
In the first 10 months of the year, Sheep slaughterings fell by 0.7% on the same period in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered was down by 9.3% between January and October 2023 when compared with the same 10 months in 2022.
An analysis of the data for October 2023 compared with October 2022 shows that Cattle slaughterings increased by 4.1%.
The number of Sheep slaughtered rose by 0.4% in October 2023 when compared with October 2022.
Pig slaughterings contracted by 3.3% in October 2023 compared with October 2022.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - October 2023 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| October 2022 | 167.8 | 276.4 | 280.9 |
| October 2023 | 174.7 | 277.5 | 271.7 |
| % change | |||
| October 2023/2022 | 4.1% | 0.4% | -3.3% |
| Jan-Oct 2023/2022 | -2.8% | -0.7% | -9.3% |
Cattle slaughterings in the year to October 2023 are estimated to be more than 1.5m heads, a drop of 44,543 heads (-2.8%) when compared with the same period in 2022.
Between January and October 2023, Sheep slaughterings fell by 17,240 heads (-0.7%) to just over 2.6m heads when compared with the same 10 months in 2022.
Pig slaughterings are estimated to be more than 2.7m heads between January and October 2023, down 282,701 heads (-9.3%) on the same period in 2022.
| X-axis label | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1479.627 | 1590.415 | 1545.872 |
| Sheep | 2458.181 | 2636.909 | 2619.669 |
| Pigs | 3048.822 | 3031.644 | 2748.943 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in October 2023 increased by 6,954 heads (+4.1%) to 174,721 heads when compared with October 2022.
Sheep slaughterings in October 2023 are estimated at 277,508 heads, up 1,105 heads (+0.4%) when compared with the same month in 2022.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in October 2023 decreased by 9,212 heads (-3.3%) to 271,672 heads when compared with October 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 | 156.211 | 222.126 | 255.189 |
| Mar 2023 | 165.328 | 286.653 | 298.182 |
| Apr 2023 | 134.284 | 249.349 | 250.594 |
| May 2023 | 153.831 | 250.324 | 288.265 |
| Jun 2023 | 148.946 | 275.778 | 274.192 |
| Jul 2023 | 144.288 | 248.711 | 261.809 |
| Aug 2023 | 162.125 | 281.761 | 287.852 |
| Sep 2023 | 152.664 | 274.748 | 264.87 |
| Oct 2023 | 174.721 | 277.508 | 271.672 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (28 November 2023) released Livestock Slaughterings October 2023.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings increased by 4.1% to almost 175,000 heads in October 2023 when compared with October 2022. The number of Sheep slaughtered rose by 0.4% to nearly 278,000 heads in October 2023 when compared with October 2022, while Pig slaughterings contracted by 3.3% to almost 272,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and October 2023, Cattle slaughterings decreased by 2.8% to more than 1.5m heads while the number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 0.7% to just over 2.6m heads. Pig slaughterings were down by 9.3% to approximately 2.7m heads over the same 10-month period."