Latest calf registration figures from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) show that fewer than 1 in 4 calves born to date this year have been registered to suckler cows.

There have been a total of 1.8 million calves registered as of Friday, May 30, this year. Of these, 436,000 have been registered to suckler cows with the remaining 1.4 million calves registered to dairy cows.

On a percentage basis, this equates to 24% of calves born in suckler herds and 76% of calves born in dairy herds.

Looking at suckler calf registrations, numbers are down almost 17,000 on this time last year with 436,398 suckler-bred calves registered as of Friday, May 30 of this year.

Dairy calf registrations are down 29,000 this year to 1,407,281 as of Friday, May 30.

Total calf registrations are down almost 46,000 (45,957) to date this year to 1,843,679 as of Friday, May 30.

With 1.4 million calves registered to dairy cows this year and calf exports just under 188,000 as of Sunday, May 25, it can be assumed that approximately 13% of all calves born to dairy cows have been exported this year.

There has been a significant drop in the number of calves being slaughtered in Ireland this year.

As of Sunday, June 1, just over 2,500 calves had been slaughtered under Category V.

In the same time last year, the number of calves slaughtered was over 16,000 calves higher at 18,682 calves.

The significant drop off in calf slaughtering comes following changing regulation surrounding calf slaughter and compliance with Bord Bia's Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS).