Calf registrations for the year to date have surpassed 840,000 head, with just shy of 151,000 calves registered in the week ending March 3.
Based on the latest data available from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) the total number of calf registrations so far this year stands at 842,437, which is actually 6,471 head behind this point in 2022.
The number of calves being registered each week should now begin to slow down, with many dairy farms past the peak of the calving season.
Calf registrations
A total of 131,140 calves were registered to dairy dams in the week ending March 3, which is 1,629 more than the same period in 2022 when some 129,511 calves were registered to dairy dams.
Dairy calf numbers started well behind 2022, but have now caught up and have surpassed 2022’s numbers.
So far this year, the total number of calves registered to dairy dams stands at 732,817, which is slightly ahead of 2022 when 731,756 calves were registered.
Unlike dairy calf numbers, the number of calves registered to beef dams remains behind 2022, with 7,532 fewer calves having been registered so far this year.
Some 19,798 calves were registered to beef dams in the week ending March 3, which is 3,718 head behind the same period in 2022 when 23,516 calves were registered.
The total number of beef calves registered so far in 2023 stands at 109,620, whereas for the same period in 2022 the figure stood at 117,152 head.
Calf registrations up to and including the week ending March 3, 2023, and how many were registered in said week:
- Dairy calf births: 732,817 (+131,140);
- Beef calf births: 109,620 (+19,798);
- Total births: 842,437 (+150,938).
Calf exports
The export of calves has gotten off to a good start in 2023, with just over 13,000 calves being exported as of Sunday, February 19.
This marks an increase of 120% or just under 7,200 head of additional calves exported compared to figures from the same time period last year.