Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 April 2024
266. 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. [18717/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recognise that value and importance of the beef herd for the agri-food industry and will continue my policy of providing targeted supports to improve the viability and sustainability of primary beef production.
According to the CSO, there were 818,600 beef cows in the country in December 2023 and the end-year figure has averaged 890,000 head over the past five years. While there has been a decrease in the beef cow herd over that period linked to structural adjustments in the sector, the number of calves born to a beef bull has increased markedly over recent years ranging from 1.54 million head in 2018 to 1.58 million in 2021 to 1.61 million in 2023. Despite some fluctuations, the aggregate number of beef-sired calves has averaged 1.57 million head in the period 2019 to 2023. This volume of output from the beef production system has ensured that the value of beef exports was worth €2.98 billion in 2023 and averaged €2.63 billion in the five-year period from 2019.
Detailed data on the beef and dairy herds is published regularly on my Department’s website at the following link.
www.gov.ie/en/collection/f55f2-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:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/d5dc1-aim-bovine-statistics-reports/ .
