blue cards
The Department of Agriculture (DAFM) said no decision has yet been made on the future of bovine passports, commonly known as blue cards.
Agri-Business
Livestock numbers across the European Union decreased further in 2025, with falls recorded in the...
683,896 cattle were slaughtered in Ireland between January and May this year, according to new data...
Almost 700,000 farm-to-farm cattle movements have been recorded in the first five months of 2026, the Department of Agriculture (DAFM) said.
Beef
Cahir Mart held its weekly cattle and calf trade on Wednesday, June 10, with a 99% clearance rate, and strong demand for more mature calves.
Kilkenny mart hosted its weekly cattle sale on Thursday, June 4, where 300 cattle went for sale as trade prices hold on average.
Tuam Co-operative Livestock Mart held its weekly general cattle sale on bank holiday Monday, June 1, where 175 cattle were on offer.
N.Ireland
Irish prime cattle prices have come under pressure in the early part of 2026, despite supplies remaining below year-ago levels, ADHB said.
UK cattle population declined 1%, year-on-year; while UK sheep flock saw a decline of 2.1% in the same period.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Ireland.
Rural Life
The cook at a massive cattle station in Australia’s Northern Territory has launched her own recipe book to help flood-stricken farmers.
Over 15,000 cattle were imported into Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland for direct slaughter in 2025, according to new data.
A judge has told a court that cattle owners and property owners have an obligation to ensure that their cattle do not cause damage.
Gardaí have confirmed that a number of cattle were injured during a road traffic incident earlier this week in Co. Kerry.
Milk prices dropped by 30.4% in the year up to December 2025, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Better surveillance could improve the ability to detect outbreaks of avian influenza (bird flu) in cattle, according to an expert.
Sheep
There was an annual decrease of 17.2% in the number of sheep slaughtered in 2025, figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.
The Department of Agriculture said the cow detected with bluetongue in Co. Wexford had no clinical symptoms, Agriland understands.
The Department of Agriculture (DAFM) will hold a "detailed briefing" to discuss the confirmed bluetongue case today (Monday, January 26).
Sheep are more likely to show obvious clinical signs of bluetongue than cattle if they become infected, DAFM said.
Over 1.86 million cattle were sold at Irish marts in 2025, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The Isle of Man’s chief veterinary officer confirmed bluetongue (BTV) antibodies have been identified in a herd of cattle on a Manx farm.
Over the 12 months to November 2025, increases in input prices were recorded for fertilisers, electricity, and veterinary expenses.
