Calf births in 2025 are expected to be 1.5% to 2% lower than 2024. This would equate to a drop of between 35,000 head and 45,000 head, industry sources have indicated.

Just over 2.3m calves were registered last year, figures from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) confirmed.

This was 70,000 head back on 2023, when 2.37 million calves were registered with the ICBF.

A further 2% reduction in calf births this spring could result in 100,000 fewer animals born in 2025 compared with 2023.

Teagasc sources estimate that the drop in calf births is likely this year based on a cull data which has come through over the last few weeks.

Bord Bia figures

The advisory body’s projections tally with figures presented this week at Bord Bia’s Meat Market Seminar.

Bord Bia’s Mark Zieg told the seminar that calf numbers last year fell by 57,000 head compared with 2023.

This was made up of a 6% drop in suckler calves or 46,000 head, while dairy calf numbers fell by 11,000 head or 1%.

In 2024, there were 708,000 calves born to beef cows, with 1.6 million dairy calves registered.

The drop in calf births is in line with the latest figures from AIMS. Last November, the number of dairy cows on AIMS was 1.52 million, a fall of 2% compared with November 2023.

Meanwhile, the number of suckler cows on the system was 768,000 head, a drop of 6% compared with November 2023.

Farmers right around the country are preparing for the spring-calving season, which will kick off in earnest over the next 10 days.