( ! ) Notice: Undefined index: email in /ns02/www/vhosts/www3.farmersjournal.ie/2024-article.php on line 65
Call Stack
#
Time
Memory
Function
Location
1
0.0000
373048
{main}( )
.../2024-article.php:0
( ! ) Notice: Use of undefined constant REQUEST_URI - assumed 'REQUEST_URI' in /ns02/www/vhosts/www3.farmersjournal.ie/2024-article.php on line 68
Call Stack
#
Time
Memory
Function
Location
1
0.0000
373048
{main}( )
.../2024-article.php:0
( ! ) Notice: Use of undefined constant REQUEST_URI - assumed 'REQUEST_URI' in /ns02/www/vhosts/www3.farmersjournal.ie/2024-article.php on line 68
Call Stack
#
Time
Memory
Function
Location
1
0.0000
373048
{main}( )
.../2024-article.php:0
( ! ) Notice: Use of undefined constant REQUEST_URI - assumed 'REQUEST_URI' in /ns02/www/vhosts/www3.farmersjournal.ie/2024-article.php on line 72
Call Stack
#
Time
Memory
Function
Location
1
0.0000
373048
{main}( )
.../2024-article.php:0
( ! ) Warning: preg_match(): Delimiter must not be alphanumeric or backslash in /ns02/www/vhosts/www3.farmersjournal.ie/includes/globals.php on line 401
( ! ) Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /ns02/www/vhosts/www3.farmersjournal.ie/2024-article.php:72) in /ns02/www/vhosts/www3.farmersjournal.ie/2024-article.php on line 227
The Irish suckler herd has declined further in 2024, with numbers now back at 1990s levels.\ Philip Doyle
Ireland’s suckler herd continues to contract, with the latest figures obtained by the Irish Farmers Journal from the Department of Agriculture and ICBF showing a massive 50,000 head drop in suckler cow numbers in just 12 months.
The Irish suckler herd now stands at 799,000 cows, its lowest point since the early 1990s.
At an average herd size of 16 cows, it equates to 60 suckler farmers per week leaving suckling between 2023 and 2024.
There is some hope that current record beef and weanling prices might help stem the flow from the sector.
Counties Kilkenny, Laois, Longford and Wicklow all recorded suckler cow declines of over 7% each in the last 12 months, with over 40% fewer suckler cows in Kilkenny today compared to 2013.
World demand
The stark figures come as the European Commission agrees a Mercosur trade deal with South American countries that continue to ramp up beef production to meet world demand. Brazil’s cattle herd is set to rise by 28m head in the next decade.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access for 30 days.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
Ireland’s suckler herd continues to contract, with the latest figures obtained by the Irish Farmers Journal from the Department of Agriculture and ICBF showing a massive 50,000 head drop in suckler cow numbers in just 12 months.
The Irish suckler herd now stands at 799,000 cows, its lowest point since the early 1990s.
At an average herd size of 16 cows, it equates to 60 suckler farmers per week leaving suckling between 2023 and 2024.
There is some hope that current record beef and weanling prices might help stem the flow from the sector.
Counties Kilkenny, Laois, Longford and Wicklow all recorded suckler cow declines of over 7% each in the last 12 months, with over 40% fewer suckler cows in Kilkenny today compared to 2013.
World demand
The stark figures come as the European Commission agrees a Mercosur trade deal with South American countries that continue to ramp up beef production to meet world demand. Brazil’s cattle herd is set to rise by 28m head in the next decade.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS