AQW 51370/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail the number of animals slaughtered for agri-food production, in each of the last five years, broken down by category of animal.
Asked by John Blair MLA on 9 September 2026
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 9 September 2026
- Answer due by
- 24 September 2026
- Answered
- 24 September 202615 days after tabling
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The Department maintains information collated annually and published on the departmental website. The requested information for animal slaughter is set out below in tables for pigs (Table 1), poultry (Table 2), sheep (Table 3) and cattle (Table 4), with the reference provided to the relevant internet link.
Table 1. Number of pigs slaughtered 2021-2025, no sub-category applicable.
Reference: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/slaughtering-pigs-2003/
| Year | Total Pigs |
| 2021 | 1,938,355 |
| 2022 | 1,944,983 |
| 2023 | 1,840,806 |
| 2024 | 1,907,993 |
| 2025 | 1,960,218 |
Table 2. Number of poultry slaughtered 2021-2025, by category.
| Year | Broilers | Turkeys | Ducks & Geese | Spent Layers & Breeders | Total Poultry |
| 2021 | 134,556,019 | 18,163 | 0 | 1,070 | 134,575,252 |
| 2022 | 124,743,439 | 69,302 | 0 | 320 | 124,813,061 |
| 2023 | 140,269,396 | 93,207 | 1,063 | 415 | 140,364,081 |
| 2024 | 140,481,306 | 73,826 | 2,374 | 50 | 140,557,556 |
| 2025 | 123,020,889 | 75,833 | 1,362 | 0 | 123,098,084 |
Table 3. Number of sheep slaughtered 2021-2025, by category.
Reference: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/cattle-and-sheep-slaughterings-2001/
| Year | Young Sheep & Lambs | Mature Ewes & Rams | Total Sheep |
| 2021 | 428,641 | 30,862 | 459,503 |
| 2022 | 448,166 | 28,168 | 476,334 |
| 2023 | 476,091 | 26,714 | 502,805 |
| 2024 | 431,461 | 25,425 | 456,886 |
| 2025 | 376,234 | 28,344 | 404,578 |
Table 4. Number of cattle slaughtered 2021-2025, by category.
Reference: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/cattle-and-sheep-slaughterings-2001/
| Year | Steers | Heifers | Young Bulls | Cows | Bulls | Calves < 12 mths | Total Cattle |
| 2021 | 176,198 | 134,896 | 36,408 | 104,694 | 5,489 | 5,931 | 463,616 |
| 2022 | 183,523 | 147,542 | 42,420 | 118,872 | 6,534 | 7,004 | 505,895 |
| 2023 | 170,179 | 144,063 | 41,141 | 116,103 | 6,534 | 5,699 | 483,719 |
| 2024 | 183,535 | 165,229 | 42,536 | 120,514 | 7,133 | 5,842 | 524,789 |
| 2025 | 166,181 | 155,505 | 44,893 | 111,659 | 6,583 | 5,499 | 490,320 |