Irish cattle, pig throughput declines in 2023 - Teagasc
Pig throughput down 8.9%; cattle declines 2%
7 February 2024
1 minute read
By: The Irish livestock sector witnessed shifts in 2023, with the most notable change being an 8.9% decrease in pig throughput, recent data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has shown.
The most striking statistic from the report is the 8.9% decline in pig slaughterings, both for the year overall and specifically in December 2023 compared to December 2022. This reduction brought the number to approximately 3.3 million head for the year.
While the main focus was on pigs, other sectors also experienced variations. Cattle slaughterings saw a yearly decrease of 2%, totaling nearly 1.9 million head. However, December 2023 marked a 2.4% increase in cattle slaughterings compared to December 2022, reaching almost 145,000 heads.
Sheep slaughterings, fell by just 0.7% in 2023, totaling nearly 3.2 million head. However, December 2023 saw a 3.0% decrease in sheep slaughterings compared to the same month in the previous year.
Implications for the Industry
Mairead Griffin, a Statistician in the Agriculture Accounts & Production Section at CSO, highlighted these changes.
"The fluctuation in cattle slaughterings and the slight drop in sheep slaughterings are within the expected range," she said. "However, the considerable decrease in pig slaughterings is significant and might reflect broader trends in consumption, export demands, or production challenges."
