The cattle kill for March 2023 is back 4.9% on the previous March, representing a shortfall of around 8,400 head, new Central Statistic Office (CSO) figures show.

The gap between years narrows to 1,700 fewer cattle when comparing the kill from January to March with the same period in 2022.

The national sheep kill moved in the opposite direction, rising 13.2% last month on March 2022.

This equates to an extra 32,000 sheep being killed in March, with the year to March throughput growing almost 50,000 head on 2022’s figures.

Factory pig numbers fell by 8.1% between January and March 2023 when compared with the same period in 2022.