250,000 fewer suckler cows since June 2015
The number of suckler cows present on Irish farms in June 2024 declined by over 250,000 head when compared to the same period in June 2015, provisional figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) have shown.
Over the 10 years encompassing June 2015 to June 2024, suckler cow numbers peaked in June 2016 at 1.103 million head. However, year-on-year declines have been reported since. Using data from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s AIMs system to compile its statistics, the CSO report that there were 825,300 suckler cows on Irish farms in June 2024 – a decline of 5.4% or 46,800 head on the corresponding period in 2023. On a yearly basis, the decline in suckler cows between June 2023 and June 2024 is the second largest reduction following only the period from June 2018 to June 2019 when suckler cow numbers fell by 48,200 head.
Table 1: Suckler cow numbers (Source: CSO)
| Year | Head ('000) |
|---|---|
| June 2015 | 1075.80 |
| June 2016 | 1,103.70 |
| June 2017 | 1,081.00 |
| June 2018 | 1,047.90 |
| June 2019 | 999.7 |
| June 2020 | 983.3 |
| June 2021 | 940.3 |
| June 2022 | 913.2 |
| June 2023 | 872.1 |
| June 2024 | 825.3 |
Dairy cow numbers
Changes in the number of dairy cows present on Irish farms are also tracked through the CSO data, with the June 2024 dairy cow population totalling 1.624 million head. This, when compared with the same period in 2023, represents a decline of 1.4% of 22,700 head, and puts the dairy cow population at similar levels to the 1.627 million head present in June 2022.
However, albeit with signs of stabilisation in recent years, dairy cow numbers have increased significantly since June 2015, at which time 1.295 million dairy cows were reported by the CSO. This rise in dairy cow numbers coincided with the removal of milk quotas in 2015 and the period that followed. Between June 2015 and June 2024, the Irish dairy cow herd grew by ~328,000 head.
Table 2: Dairy cow numbers (Source: CSO)
| Year | Head ('000) |
|---|---|
| June 2015 | 1,295.8 |
| June 2016 | 1,397.9 |
| June 2017 | 1,432.7 |
| June 2018 | 1,480.9 |
| June 2019 | 1,504.8 |
| June 2020 | 1,567.7 |
| June 2021 | 1604.5 |
| June 2022 | 1627.3 |
| June 2023 | 1646.6 |
| June 2024 | 1,624.0 |
Given the above, and when suckler cow and dairy cow numbers as reported by the CSO are combined, the total cow population in Ireland was ~2.449 million head in June 2024 – up by 77,700 when compared to the corresponding period in June 2015.
Other statistics of note
The CSO also reports on the total number of cattle within Ireland in December 2023 – classifying them by age and sex. Overall, it reported that total cattle numbers were down 2.2% to 7.183 million head. However, increases were reported in the number of female cattle aged over two years, climbing 7% on the year previous to 402,000 head in June 2024.
Table 3: Total number of cattle (Source: CSO)
| June 2022 | June 2023 | June 2024 | Change 2023-2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| '000 head | '000 head | % | |||
| Total cattle | 7,396.2 | 7,341.5 | 7,183.1 | -158.3 | -2.2 |
| Dairy cows1 | 1,627.3 | 1,646.6 | 1,624.0 | -22.7 | -1.4 |
| Other (suckler) cows | 913.2 | 872.1 | 825.3 | -46.8 | -5.4 |
| Bulls2 | 48.3 | 46.5 | 49.1 | 2.6 | 5.6 |
| Male cattle 2 years and over | 379.9 | 415.7 | 410.0 | -5.7 | -1.4 |
| Female cattle 2 years and over | 355.3 | 375.6 | 402.0 | 26.4 | 7.0 |
| Male cattle 1-2 years | 887.6 | 847.9 | 804.9 | -43.0 | -5.1 |
| Female cattle 1-2 years | 1,050.1 | 1,062.9 | 1,041.4 | -21.5 | -2.0 |
| Male cattle under 1 year | 1,001.8 | 953.4 | 930.2 | -23.2 | -2.4 |
| Female cattle under 1 year | 1,132.7 | 1,120.8 | 1,096.2 | -24.6 | -2.2 |
| Total male cattle | 2,317.5 | 2,263.3 | 2,194.1 | -69.2 | -3.1 |
| Total female cattle | 5,078.6 | 5,078.1 | 4,989.0 | -89.1 | -1.8 |
1Dairy cows are those kept principally to produce milk for human consumption. 2Bulls used for breeding purposes only