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Between January and September 2024, Cattle slaughterings increased by 1.8% when compared with the same period in 2023.
In the first nine months of the year, Sheep slaughterings decreased by 6.2% on the same period in 2023.
The number of Pigs slaughtered from January to September 2024 went up by 0.6% when compared with the same nine months in 2023.
An analysis of the data for September 2024 compared with September 2023 shows that Cattle slaughterings grew by 11.5%.
The number of Sheep slaughtered increased by 2.1% in September 2024 when compared with the same month in 2023.
Pig slaughterings rose by 3.2% in September 2024 when compared with September 2023.
| Table 1.1: Livestock Slaughterings - September 2024 | |||
| Cattle | Sheep | Pigs | |
| '000 heads | |||
| Sep 2023 | 152.6 | 273.9 | 264.9 |
| Sep 2024 | 170.1 | 279.7 | 273.3 |
| % change | |||
| Sep 2024/2023 | 11.5% | 2.1% | 3.2% |
| Jan-Sep 2024/2023 | 1.8% | -6.2% | 0.6% |
Cattle slaughterings in the nine months to September 2024 are estimated to be approximately 1.4m heads, an increase of more than 24,000 heads (+1.8%) when compared with the same period in 2023.
During the same period in 2024, Sheep slaughterings contracted by almost 145,000 heads (-6.2%) to approximately 2.2m heads when compared with the same nine months in 2023.
Pig slaughterings are estimated to be approximately 2.5m heads for January to September 2024, an increase of more than 15,000 heads (+0.6%) on the same period in 2023.
| X-axis label | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattle | 1422.648 | 1371.14 | 1395.574 |
| Sheep | 2360.5064 | 2341.273 | 2196.447 |
| Pigs | 2750.76 | 2477.3 | 2492.343 |
The number of Cattle slaughtered in September 2024 rose by approximately 17,000 heads (+11.5%) to more than 170,000 heads when compared with September 2023.
Sheep slaughterings in September 2024 were almost 280,000 heads, up by approximately 6,000 heads (+2.1%) when compared with the same month in 2023.
The number of Pigs slaughtered in September 2024 grew by approximately 8,000 heads (+3.2%) to more than 273,000 heads when compared with September 2023.
| X-axis label | Cattle | Sheep | Pigs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2023 | 153.475 | 252.711 | 296.318 |
| Feb 2023 | 156.219 | 222.126 | 255.189 |
| Mar 2023 | 165.328 | 286.653 | 298.182 |
| Apr 2023 | 134.284 | 249.349 | 250.594 |
| May 2023 | 153.832 | 250.324 | 288.265 |
| Jun 2023 | 148.922 | 275.714 | 274.184 |
| Jul 2023 | 144.298 | 248.769 | 261.821 |
| Aug 2023 | 162.138 | 281.767 | 287.852 |
| Sep 2023 | 152.644 | 273.86 | 264.895 |
| Oct 2023 | 174.86 | 277.641 | 271.642 |
| Nov 2023 | 181.631 | 293.386 | 307.246 |
| Dec 2023 | 142.859 | 256.257 | 255.717 |
| 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 | 150.903 | 213.625 | 285.489 |
| Jun 2024 | 127.621 | 221.5 | 244.351 |
| JuL 2024 | 157.594 | 256.116 | 297.302 |
| Aug 2024 | 151.052 | 275.672 | 282.797 |
| Sep 2024 | 170.125 | 279.675 | 273.25 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (24 October 2024) released Livestock Slaughterings September 2024.
Commenting on the release, Mairead Griffin, Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section, said: "Cattle slaughterings grew by 11.5% to more than 170,000 heads in September 2024 when compared with September 2023. During the same period, the number of Sheep slaughtered increased by 2.1% to 280,000 heads, while Pig slaughterings rose by 3.2% to 273,000 heads.
Further analysis of the data shows that between January and September 2024, Cattle slaughterings grew by 1.8% to approximately 1.4m heads while the number of Sheep slaughtered fell by 6.2% to almost 2.2m heads. Pig slaughterings went up by 0.6% to approximately 2.5m heads over the same nine-month period."