Cattle exports surpass 200,000 head with over 86% going to EU market
Irish cattle export numbers to date this year have surpassed 200,000 head, with over 86% (or over 175,500 head) of these going to countries in the EU.
According to figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), a total of 202,916 cattle (including calves) have been exported from Ireland this year as of Sunday, May 17.
This figure is down 15% on the same time last year, when 239,102 cattle had been exported.
2026 cattle export figures to date are on par with the same time period of 2024 when 202,443 head of cattle had been exported.
Cattle exports by destination
The Netherlands remains the largest market destination for Irish cattle on a per head basis, with almost 72,500 head of Irish cattle exported to the Dutch market to date this year. This is up 1% on last year. Over 72,000 of these were calves.
The table below details Irish cattle exports (including calves) by market destination for the first 20 weeks of 2024, 2025, and 2026:
| Country | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 67,346 | 71,828 | 72,476 | 1% |
| Spain | 58,272 | 76,071 | 63,533 | -16% |
| Italy | 19,486 | 23,492 | 24,695 | 5% |
| Northern Ireland | 20,297 | 27,045 | 20,017 | -26% |
| Croatia | 2,536 | 1,888 | 8,122 | 330% |
| Israel | 3,304 | 1,855 | 3,531 | 90% |
| Algeria | 2,037 | 1,967 | 3,299 | 68% |
| Hungary | 2,130 | 1,117 | 3,232 | 189% |
| Portugal | 0 | 1,042 | 1,819 | 75% |
| Greece | 1,488 | 1,989 | 743 | -63% |
| Poland | 10,179 | 22,126 | 571 | -97% |
| Tunisia | 407 | 759 | 538 | -29% |
| Slovenia | 0 | 401 | 136 | -66% |
| Slovakia | 264 | 392 | 130 | -67% |
| Romania | 4,432 | 1,479 | 58 | -96% |
| Great Britain | 2,643 | 2,073 | 13 | -99% |
| Other | 7,622 | 3,578 | 3 | -100% |
| Total | 202,443 | 239,102 | 202,916 | -15% |
After the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Northern Ireland, and Croatia are respectively the largest market destinations for Irish cattle to date this year.
Calf exports
Exports to Italy are up 5% on last year, driven by a 13% rise in calf exports, with a total of almost 17,000 Irish calves exported to the Italian to date this year.
The table below details Irish calf exports by market destination for the first 20 weeks of 2024, 2025 and 2026:
| Weeks 1–20 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 67,091 | 71,291 | 72,058 | 1% |
| Spain | 53,000 | 62,750 | 54,415 | -13% |
| Italy | 13,898 | 14,943 | 16,953 | 13% |
| Croatia | 2,210 | 1,419 | 7,521 | 430% |
| Northern Ireland | 4,369 | 6,455 | 5,656 | -12% |
| Hungary | 2,010 | 855 | 3,168 | 271% |
| Portugal | 0 | 586 | 989 | 69% |
| Poland | 10,103 | 21,677 | 429 | -98% |
| Other | 4,520 | 2,148 | 1 | -100% |
| Total | 157,201 | 182,124 | 161,190 | -11% |
The largest percentage increase in calf exports this year has been to Croatia with numbers up by 430% to over 7,500 head.
The largest decline in calf exports this year has been in those to Poland, with numbers back by over 21,000 head. Trading protocols relating to bluetongue restrictions has been one of the factors reducing the numbers of Irish calves exported to Poland this year.
Cattle exports by category
Irish cattle exports have declined in all categories to date this year, with numbers back by over 36,000 head on last year but on par with 2024.
The table below details Irish cattle exports by category for the first 20 weeks of 2024, 2025, and 2026:
| Category | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2024/26 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calves | 157,201 | 182,124 | 161,190 | 3% | -11% |
| Weanlings | 12,357 | 20,185 | 14,794 | 20% | -27% |
| Stores | 14,311 | 14,338 | 11,404 | -20% | -20% |
| Adult Cattle | 18,574 | 22,455 | 15,528 | -16% | -31% |
| Total | 202,443 | 239,102 | 202,916 | 0% | -15% |
2025 Irish cattle export numbers reached record levels and cattle exports are not expected to reach those levels this year.
Calf exporters are still active at marts around the country and are buying all types of calves.
Growing numbers of beef-sired calves and female beef-sired calves bred from the dairy herd are being exported in line with calf availability in Ireland.
