Alarming fall in cattle and sheep numbers

ICSA Beef chair, John Cleary, and ICSA Sheep chair, Willie Shaw, say the latest CSO livestock slaughtering figures, showing a sharp fall in cattle and sheep throughput, are alarming and underline just how serious the situation is for drystock farmers.

Commenting on the figures, ICSA Beef chair John Cleary said: “The CSO is now showing a 24.5% collapse in cattle slaughterings in July alone, compared with the same month last year - equivalent to roughly one week’s kill. While year-to-date throughput is down 4.5%, this single-month drop is far from a normal fluctuation, it is a glaring sign that farmers are cutting stock at an unprecedented rate. We are now living the consequences of a policy environment that has stripped confidence out of the beef sector.”

ICSA Sheep chair Willie Shaw said the figures on sheep slaughterings are equally worrying. “The CSO is showing a 16.3% collapse in sheep supplies in the first seven months of 2025, and over 20% down in July alone. Yet even with supplies this tight, processors are continuing to hammer prices. Sheep farmers rightly feel aggrieved, and it’s no wonder so many are leaving the sector.

“These figures are not just statistics - they are a warning siren. Unless policymakers move quickly to restore confidence, we will see entire sectors hollowed out.”

In addition, Mr Shaw said the collapse in numbers will also have ramifications for generational renewal. “The Commission on Generational Renewal has completed its work, and we are awaiting publication of its report. But the harsh reality is that at this rate there may be nothing left to renew. Young farmers will not step into sectors that are being dismantled before their eyes. Unless action is taken now, the next generation will simply walk away. The survival of family farms now hangs in the balance.”