Number of cattle slaughtered down 5%

Between January and March 2023, cattle slaughterings decreased by 0.4% when compared with the same period in 2022, CSO figures show.

Cattle slaughterings decreased by 4.9% in March 2023 when compared with March 2022, CSO figures show.

Between January and March 2023, cattle slaughterings decreased by 0.4% when compared with the same period in 2022.

Sheep slaughterings increased by 6.9% between January and March 2023 when compared with the same period in 2022. In March 2023 alone, the number of sheep slaughtered rose by 13.2% compared with the same month last year.

Figures also show that the number of pigs slaughtered fell by 8.1% between January and March 2023 when compared with the same period in 2022, with an 8.2% decline in March 2023 compared with March 2022.

The number of pigs slaughtered between January to March 2023 fell by 8.1%https://t.co/04hWIgcgTl#CSOIreland #Ireland #Agriculture #Agribusiness #Farming #Prices #AgPrices #Livestock #Cattle #Sheep #Pigs #Agronomy #CensusofAgriculture pic.twitter.com/9IfeXuvDNf

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) April 27, 2023

Due to a difficult year and a half, there are pig producers that have left the industry. The Irish pig production forecast is likely to reduce by 8.5% for this year on 2022. This is the largest drop forecast of any European country.

The Irish Farmers' Association acknowledged that the EU pig price is slowly stabilising, however, the Irish price was trailing behind its European counterparts.