Table: 2026 Irish cattle exports surpass 125,000 head - down 21%
Just over 126,000 cattle have been exported from Ireland as of the week ending Sunday, April 12, latest figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) have shown.
Total Irish cattle exports in the first 15 weeks of this year are down 21% on last year, when over 160,000 (160,427) cattle had been exported.
However, 2026 Irish cattle export figures to date are only down 1% when compared to 2024 figures. A total of 127,658 cattle were exported in the first 15 weeks of 2024.
The table below details Irish cattle exports in the first 15 weeks of 2024, 2025, and 2026 and the percentage differences:
| Category | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2024/26 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calves | 95,147 | 114,615 | 95,504 | 0% | -17% |
| Weanlings | 9,691 | 16,710 | 11,391 | +18% | -32% |
| Stores | 9,103 | 10,323 | 7,076 | -22% | -31% |
| Adult Cattle | 13,717 | 18,779 | 12,073 | -12% | -36% |
| Total | 127,658 | 160,427 | 126,044 | -1% | -21% |
Calf export figures to date this year are down 17% on last year.
The market destination country that seen the largest drop-off in Irish calves this year has been Poland, falling from 14,000 last year to zero to date this year.
Earlier this year, the current protocols put in place for trading Irish calves to customers in Poland were described as 'unworkable' by some calf buyers who had previously been supplying Irish calves to the Polish market.
The table below details Irish calf exports by destination country for the first 15 weeks of 2024, 2025, and 2026:
| Country: | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | %change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 41,572 | 43,371 | 43,326 | 0% |
| Spain | 31,496 | 39,566 | 30,803 | -22% |
| Italy | 7,869 | 9,879 | 11,632 | 18% |
| Croatia | 1,132 | 1,136 | 4,187 | 269% |
| Northern Ireland | 2,780 | 4,988 | 3,260 | -35% |
| Hungary | 0 | 575 | 1,745 | 203% |
| Portugal | - | 299 | 550 | 84% |
| Poland | 7,513 | 14,011 | 0 | -100% |
| Other | 2,785 | 790 | 0 | -100% |
| Total | 95,147 | 114,615 | 95,504 | -17% |
The numbers of Irish calves going to the Netherlands has remained on par with last year, but the number of calves going to Spain has declined by 22% or over 8,700 head.
The number of Irish calves sold to customers in Italy in the first 15 weeks of this year has increased by 18% or over 1,700 head.
Croatia has also seen a major rise in Irish calves traded to the country - up by over 3,000 head on the same time of last year.
