Calf slaughter numbers at factories in 2025 fell to just under 3,400 head, according to latest figures.

In 2024, the number of these calves slaughtered at Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)-approved factories totalled just under 21,000.

In 2023, almost 31,000 calves were slaughtered at DAFM-approved factories.

The 2025 figure marks a drop of 17,500 in the number of calves being slaughtered at DAFM-approved factories since last year.

The drop in the number of calves being slaughtered follows moves by Bord Bia in January 2024 to prohibit the slaughter of healthy calves within the first eight weeks of their life.

Dairy farmers that do not comply with this may face suspension from Bord Bia's Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS).

The lift in calf prices seen in 2025 will have also helped the market for surplus dairy calves, reducing slaughter numbers further.

DAFM reports calf slaughter numbers as Category V and Category Z.

Category V refers to bovines slaughtered from the day of birth until the day they reach eight months-of-age. The number slaughtered under this category in 2025 was 3,385.

Category Z veal includes meat from cattle aged 8-12 months-of-age. 2,421 cattle were slaughtered in this category in 2025 - up slightly from the previous year.

Bord Bia contacts herds regarding calf slaughter

In May of this year, Agriland reported that Bord Bia contacted 22 dairy herds and their milk processors to check compliance with the SDAS, after these herds were found to be slaughtering calves under 56 days-of-age.

Bord Bia said that as part of its data-sharing agreement with DAFM, Bord Bia is provided with data on SDAS herds that have slaughtered calves under 56 days-of-age.

This allows Bord Bia to "take a targeted approach" to auditing these herds, under agreement with the dairy processing industry, the food board said.

As of May 2025, 22 herds had been identified as slaughtering calves under 56 days-of-age, according to the data supplied to Bord Bia from the department.

A spokesperson for Bord Bia told Agriland that these herds were contacted directly, as have their milk processors, requesting evidence of compliance with the quality assurance certification criteria under SDAS.

In cases of calf slaughter under 56 days, mitigating factors may include disease outbreak.

Meanwhile, Bord Bia said that a total of 3,109 audits under SDAS were carried out between January 1 and April 30 this year.

The function of an SDAS audit is to assess the conformance of herds with the criteria of the standard.