Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
492. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide the latest weekly and year-to-date cattle slaughter figures for 2026; his assessment of the 30,000+ head shortfall in the first six weeks of the year; the steps his Department is taking to safeguard both farmer incomes and processing capacity in the beef sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13919/26]
View answerThe latest data published by my Department shows that the number of cattle being presented for slaughter at high throughput beef plants is 175,500 animals processed to the end of week 6. While cattle slaughter levels have decreased by almost 31,000 head (or 15%) year-on-year, approximately a third of that decline can be attributed to lower cull cow numbers which are not included in the prime cattle categories.
While Teagasc has forecast that Irish domestic prime cattle production will fall by 4% in 2026, it noted that the number of cattle in key EU export destinations was significantly lower in June 2025 relative to June 2024. In the UK, there have been notable declines in the size of the breeding herd, particularly for non-dairy cows. This trend points to some further contraction in UK beef production in the medium-term.
Consistent with the Programme for Government, I have secured budget allocations for the continuation of two-exchequer-funded schemes to support beef producers in 2026, which will bolster the supply base, and I will announce details of those measures in due course. As outlined in Food Vision 2030, I will continue to work with sectoral stakeholders to ensure that interdependent supply chains function in a manner that optimises returns for all actors dependent on them.
Data on the beef market situation is published weekly on my Department’s website and can be accessed at the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine/collections/meat-market-reports/
