Figures for the number of Irish cattle exported to Northern Ireland (NI), for both direct slaughter and breeding, from January 1 to June 30 of this year have been released.
Agriland can reveal the total number of live cattle exported to Northern Ireland in the first six months of 2021 is up a stark 68% when compared to figures from 2020.
However, despite the common belief among farmers that the majority of cattle going north are for direct slaughter, the figures seen by Agriland indicate that the largest number of cattle going north, are in fact, for breeding and further production purposes.
Between January and June of this year, just over 40,000 cattle were sold to buyers from Northern Ireland. This overall total figure is up 68% on last year’s figure of just under 24,000.
Analysis of this overall figure shows that 77% of the cattle imported from Ireland during the first six months of 2021 were for further breeding/production while the balance of 23% were imported for direct slaughter.
When we take a closer look at this overall figure, we see that just over 9,000 of these cattle were sent north for direct slaughter.
Nonetheless, this figure is up by over 3,000 head – or 58% – when compared to the last year’s figure of almost 6,000 cattle exported north for direct slaughter.
The most notable statistic on the trade of cattle from the Republic of Ireland (ROI) to the north of the island is the figure for cattle exported for breeding and further production, which is up by 73% or over 13,000 head.
In 2020, this figure stood at just over 18,000 head whereas in 2021 this number saw a significant increase, to over 31,000 head.
So, while over 40,000 Irish cattle have gone north this year, just over 9,000 of these were for direct slaughter, with the remainder finding their way into dairy and suckler herds in Northern Ireland.
Stay tuned to Agriland for further analysis and updates on these figures.