National cattle herd over 170,000 head lower on 1 August 2024

The number of bovines recorded on farms on 1 August 2024 on the animal identification and movements database fell by 170,000 head when compared with 1 August 2023.

The greatest reduction was recorded in the dairy males category, with almost 80,000 fewer such cattle on farms.

As detailed in Table 2, this includes 41,156 fewer males in the 12- to 18-month age category and 20,590 fewer males aged 18 to 24 months of age.

The lower figures here are underpinned by a continued switch to using more beef genetics in the dairy herd, which is facilitated by sexed semen technology and higher calf exports in 2023.

The number of replacement dairy heifers on farms was just shy of 50,000 head lower.

This trend has emerged in the last 18 months and is not surprising given the ongoing uncertainty dairy farmers are facing with regards the future of the nitrates derogation, while a cost-price squeeze at farm level has also contributed to reduced confidence.

The lower number of replacements is likely to feed into reduced cow numbers, with total dairy cow numbers running at a lower level since the turn of the year.

At 1.58m head, there were 29,874 fewer dairy cows on farms on 1 August compared with 12 months previous.

Beef numbers

The number of beef animals on farms fell by a much smaller figure of 14,587 head. However, this fails to reflect the ongoing reduction in output from the suckler herd, with numbers boosted by beef-cross cattle bred from the dairy herd.

As detailed in Table 1, the number of suckler cows on farms was 47,824 head lower on 1 August, with in the region of 100,000 cows exiting the sector in the last 18 months to two years. The number of suckler cows is running just shy of 800,000 head.

The number of beef males and females aged three to six months of age is running almost 27,000 head higher, while in the older six to 12 months age bracket, there were over 22,000 fewer cattle. This reflects both fewer births and higher live exports.

Figure 1 gives a snapshot of beef cattle numbers in the pipeline.

In the short term, there is higher numbers in the pipeline than 12 months ago, with 5,470 more beef cattle aged 24 to 30 months and 7,725 more cattle in the 30- to 36-month age bracket. This is likely to be feeding into the higher kills experienced in recent weeks.

Once these animals have passed through the system, there is tighter numbers in the offing.

There was over 43,000 fewer animals aged one to two years of age on farms and over 30,000 fewer animals aged six to 12 months when all categories of beef males or females and dairy males are accounted for.