The total number of cattle in Ireland reached 7,396,200 during the month of June last year, according to new research published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today (Wednesday, March 29).
“The final results for June 2022 show that the total number of cattle in the country increased by 37,300 (0.5%) to 7,396,200 when compared with June 2021,” Donal Kelly, senior statistician in the CSO said.
“The total number of dairy cows grew by 22,800 while the total number of other cows fell by 27,100.”
The latest figures from the CSO show that the largest number of cattle in June 2022 – 1,483,100 – were located in the midwest region.
Kelly added that in relation to June 2022:
“The total number of cattle aged two-years and over has risen by 17,000 (2.4%) while the total number of cattle aged 1-2 years also rose by 38,100 (2.0%) in the year since June 2021.”
The Crops and Livestock Survey June 2022 published today by the CSO also examined which areas in the country had the highest level of specific livestock when compared with June 2021.
“A regional analysis of the livestock numbers shows that the largest number of cattle (1,483,100) was in the midwest region, the largest number of sheep (1,638,800) was in the west region and the largest number of pigs (386,400) was in the border region,” Kelly said.
According to the CSO, the total number of sheep in the state in June 2022 was 5,967,600 while the total number of pigs was 1,634,800.
The June 2022 survey also shows that in relation specifically to the area under crops and pasture, the total area farmed increased by 10,500ha to 4,347,900ha when compared with corresponding figures for June 2021.
Meanwhile, the area under crops and pasture decreased by 144,500ha to 3,745,500ha with the highest numbers in the southern region.
According to the latest research the total area under cereals in June 2022 was 288,700ha and the highest area of cereals was also recorded in the southern region.
Kelly added that regarding the three main cereals in the month of June last year:
“The land areas under winter wheat, winter oats and winter barley have increased by 4,200ha (7.4%), 1,200ha (8.9%) and 6,200ha (9.3%) respectively.
“The areas under spring cereals have decreased compared with June 2021.”