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.
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.
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