The value of cattle production fell by €104.4m to €2,156.7m (-4.6%) this year, according to the latest figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This decrease occurred despite volume growth of 2.0%.

The figures also showed that pig producers experienced a very good year, with its value up by €84.4m (+18.4%).

There was a fall in the volume of feeding stuffs consumed by Irish farmers that resulted in a fall of 13.7%. The CSO attributed this to the fact that 2019 experienced milder weather.

Changes

A year-on-year analysis of the 2019 results identified these main changes:

  • Despite an increase of 3.3% in the volume of goods produced, falling prices resulted in the value of goods at producer prices decreasing by €54.1m (-0.7%).
  • The volume of crop production increased by 5.2%. However, reduced prices resulted in an overall decrease in the value of crop output by €53.3m (-2.6%).
  • The volume of cereals produced during 2019 increased by 18.1%, but lower prices resulted in an overall fall in the value of cereals down to €260.8m (-9.6%).
  • Milk production increased by 5.2% in volume, but reduced prices resulted in an overall increase of €44.7m (+1.7%) in the value of milk.
  • While the volume of sheep production increased by 14.8%, reduced prices resulted in the overall value of sheep increasing by just €23.6m (+9.3%).
  • While the volume of fertilisers consumed by Irish farmers decreased by 7.6%, price increases meant that the value consumed fell by €3.8m (-0.7%) to €578.3m.

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