Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 March 2023
375. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of the beef herd at present; the extent to which numbers have fluctuated in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12190/23]
View answer379. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of beef animals currently in this country; the extent to which the relevant farmers' incomes from beef has fluctuated over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12194/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 375 and 379 together.
The suckler sector is a vital component of Ireland’s rural economy and the provision of support for it is of crucial importance to the agri-food sector. The current range of supports provided by my Department to beef farmers represents a balance between direct income support and measures designed to improve their competitiveness and sustainability.
Detailed information in six monthly age categories for the beef and dairy herds is extracted from the AIM database. This data is updated on a monthly basis and is available from 2014 to 2022.
The information on the AIM database for male bovine animals does not distinguish between bulls and steers. The number of calves born to a beef bull has remained relatively stable in recent years ranging from 1.59 million in 2017 to 1.55 million in 2019 to 1.58 million in 2021.
Statistics on six monthly age categories for the beef herd and the dairy herds are available on my Department's website at the link below. Information on male animals for the categories 18-24 months, 24-30 months and 30-36 months is provided to the end of quarter 2, 2022 can be found at the following link.
www.gov.ie/en/publication/467e3-cattle-aim/#bovine-birth-and-movements-monthly-reports
Historic data on the size of the national herd can be extracted from my Department’s Annual AIM Reports which are available at: gov.ie - AIM Bovine Statistics Reports (www.gov.ie) ; and this data is also used as the basis for the CSO's livestock surveys in respect of cattle data.
Family Farm Income (FFI) - the return from farming for family labour, land and capital - is the principal measure used in the Teagasc National Farm Survey. The average family farm income (FFI) on enterprises classified as Cattle (Other) during the period 2017-2021, was €15,555, with the highest income of €17,233 recorded in 2021. The average FFI for Cattle (Rearing) enterprises during the same period was €9,951, with the highest income of €12,529 recorded in 2017.
Results of the survey series from1999 onwards are published on the Teagasc website at the link below:
www.teagasc.ie/rural-economy/rural-economy/national-farm-survey/national-farm-survey-reports/
