Ireland's calf registrations rise by 47,000 year on year
Data from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation show 2,226,852 calves registered this year up to the week ending November 6, which is 47,627 more than a year earlier. Both dairy and beef births are up.
The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), which maintains the national cattle database, reports that 2,226,852 calves have been registered this year up to the week ending November 6. In the same period last year, 2,179,225 births were registered, an increase of 47,627. The figures matter for Irish livestock farming because calf numbers are growing even though the national suckler herd has been shrinking in recent years.
Dairy sector
Of all registrations, 1,551,043 were dairy births, compared with 1,530,946 last year, a rise of 20,097. Within a two-week period up to the week ending February 27, 333,253 dairy calves were registered, equal to 15.3% of the year's total.
Among the 10 most widely used artificial insemination (AI) beef bulls on dairy cows, eight are Angus, one is Hereford and one is Belgian Blue. Easy calving traits and strong prices are cited as reasons for the use of Angus sires on dairy cows. In marts, 101,347 Angus calves out of dairy dams have been traded so far in 2026.
Suckler and beef herd
Beef registrations are also higher, with 27,530 more calves than at this point last year. So far in 2026, 675,809 beef births have been registered, against 648,279 in 2025. In the week ending November 6, 6,408 beef calves were registered, compared with 5,766 in the same week of 2025.
The source describes the increase as positive news for the Irish suckler sector, where the national herd has fallen consistently in recent years. It is hoped the trend will reverse the exit of suckler farmers from the sector.
