The number of sheep slaughtered declined by 16.3% in the first seven months of 2025, according to latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The sheep kill also fell by 20.9% in July 2025 when compared with the same month in 2024.

Overall figures for January to July 2025 show that sheep throughout fell by 267,000 to 1.4 million head when compared with last year.

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Meanwhile, cattle slaughterings in the year to July 2025 are estimated to be one million head, a decrease of 49,000 (-4.5%) when compared with the same period in 2024.

Cattle throughput for July 2025 was also down by 24.5% compared with July 2024.

Interestingly, the number of pigs slaughtered in the first seven months of 2025 grew by 2.8% when compared with the same seven months in 2024 and rose by 2.2% in July 2025 when compared with July 2024.

ICSA reaction

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) beef chair John Cleary and sheep chair Willie Shaw have said that the latest CSO livestock slaughtering figures, showing a sharp fall in cattle and sheep throughput, are alarming and underline just how serious the situation is for drystock farmers.

Commenting on the figures, Cleary said: "The CSO is now showing a 24.5% collapse in cattle slaughterings in July alone, compared with the same month last year - equivalent to roughly one week’s kill.

"While year-to-date throughput is down 4.5%, this single-month drop is far from a normal fluctuation, it is a glaring sign that farmers are cutting stock at an unprecedented rate. We are now living the consequences of a policy environment that has stripped confidence out of the beef sector."

CSO livestock slaughtering figures, showing a sharp fall in cattle and sheep throughput, are alarming

Shaw said the figures on sheep slaughterings are equally worrying, adding that even with supplies this tight, processors are continuing to hammer prices.

"Sheep farmers rightly feel aggrieved and it’s no wonder so many are leaving the sector. These figures are not just statistics - they are a warning siren. Unless policymakers move quickly to restore confidence, we will see entire sectors hollowed out," he said.

In addition, Shaw said the collapse in numbers will also have ramifications for generational renewal.

"The commission on generational renewal has completed its work and we are awaiting publication of its report. But the harsh reality is that at this rate there may be nothing left to renew.

"Young farmers will not step into sectors that are being dismantled before their eyes. Unless action is taken now, the next generation will simply walk away. The survival of family farms now hangs in the balance," he said.