15% drop in farm-to-farm cattle movements in first 5 months of year
Almost 700,000 farm-to-farm cattle movements have been recorded in the first five months of 2026, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
Munster accounted for 325,401 (47%) of the 696,191 farm-to-farm bovine movements between January and May this year.
There were 228,133 movements in Leinster, 86,828 in Connacht and 55,829 in Ulster.
| Month | Connacht | Leinster | Munster | Ulster | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9,296 | 20,404 | 27,573 | 6,059 | 63,332 |
| February | 13,729 | 32,817 | 46,905 | 8,184 | 101,635 |
| March | 24,111 | 79,204 | 116,421 | 15,803 | 235,539 |
| April | 21,854 | 58,867 | 82,874 | 14,207 | 177,802 |
| May | 17,838 | 36,841 | 51,628 | 11,576 | 117,883 |
| Total | 86,828 | 228,133 | 325,401 | 55,829 | 696,191 |
The figures represent a drop of 118,908 bovines or 15% compared to the same five-month period in 2025 during which there were 815,099 farm-to-farm bovine moves.
Between January and May 2025, there were 390,865 movements in Munster, 260,813 in Leinster, 101,110 in Connacht and 62,311 in Ulster.
DAFM noted the statistics relate to the province in which the seller of the animals is located.
Cattle
The latest data published by the department also shows that 912,618 bovines were sold in the country's marts in the first five months of the year.
This marks a decrease of 44,620 head when compared to the 957,238 cattle sold in marts in the same period in 2025.
Just over 33,000 animals were returned home from marts unsold between January and May 2026, compared to 19,936 over the same five months in 2025.
488,131 bovines were sold in marts in Munster in the first five months of this year (2025: 493,968).
207,115 bovines were sold in Leinster marts (2025: 217,528), 138,914 sold in Connacht marts (2025: 160,244) and 78,458 sold in Ulster marts (2025: 85,840)
