Data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that the number of cattle slaughtered in Ireland in January 2026 was down by 18.4% when compared to the same month of 2025.

Last month, 134,300 cattle were slaughtered, down from 164,700 in 2025.

On a month-to-month basis (December 2025 to January 2026) the number of cattle slaughtered increased last month compared to the December figure of 129,000 head.

When converted into carcass weight, the number of cattle slaughtered last month equated to 44,500t, which was also a decrease compared to January 2025, the figure for which stood at 52,200t.

The carcass weight figure for last month is a slight increase on December 2025, when the figure was 42,200t.

Sheep

For sheep, the slaughter figures for January 2026 were also back on the same month for 2025, although the level of the decrease was not as steep as it was for cattle.

Last month, 182,400 sheep were slaughtered in Ireland, down from 187,700 in January 2025.

This is a decrease of 2.8%.

The number of sheep slaughtered last month is also a decrease on December 2025, when the number of sheep slaughtered was 203,600.

By carcass weight, the January 2026 figure equates to 4,200t, a slight decrease on the 4,300t in January 2025.

This is also a decrease on December 2025, when the figure was 4,600t.

Pigs

The pig sector recorded an increase in the number of animals slaughtered in January 2026 compared to January 2025.

The number increased by 2.6%, from 293,300 to 301,000.

The figure for January 2026 also increased compared to December 2025, when the figure was 286,500.

In terms of carcass weight, the January slaughter figure for pigs equated to 29,700t, an increase from 28,100t in January 2025.

This is also an increase compared to the carcass weight figure for December 2025, when the figure was also 28,100t.

Employees in agriculture

Other recent data from the CSO shows that there has been an increase in the number of people employed in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector.

According to the CSO's labour force survey, 109,300 were employed in the sector in the final quarter (Q4) of 2025.

This marks an increase from the 107,700 people working in the sector in the same three-month period in 2024.

This growth was driven by an increase in the number of women in the sector, which stood at 18,100 in Q4 2025, compared to 16,500 in Q4 2025.