asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the proportion of the live cattle exported to Northern Ireland which is purchased by Northern meat companies as opposed to farmers for further fattening; the proportion of the cattle in question which is sold through livestock marts in the Republic of Ireland; and the proportion which is sold directly by farmers.
Written Answers. - Cattle Exports.
65.
The only figures available regarding the composition of the live cattle export trade to Northern Ireland are those contained in the official trade statistics. These indicate that in recent years about one-third of the animals exported were classed as fat, indicating that these would have been exported for slaughter.
66.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the present position regarding the volume of live cattle exported to Northern Ireland to date in 1988; the way in which this compares with live exports to Northern Ireland in previous years; and the way in which it compares with slaughterings in Irish meat factories in 1988.
Official statistics relating to 1988 are not yet available but CBF estimate that live exports to Northern Ireland up to and including week ending 14 May amount to some 69,000 head compared with about 47,000 in the corresponding period of 1987. Official trade statistics record the following live cattle exports to Northern Ireland in recent years:
|
Year (January-April) |
Number |
|
1984 |
66,547 |
|
1985 |
56,058 |
|
1986 |
35,655 |
|
1987 |
41,764 |
Slaughterings of cows in Irish meat factories in the period January-April 1988 have been the lowest since 1983 but slaughterings of steers during this period have been the highest since 1980 with the exception of 1987 when heavy slaughterings took place in advance of the introduction of the new intervention arrangements on 6 April of last year.