CALF registrations continue to decline across the North this year, the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) has reported.
Data provided by the Northern Ireland Food Animal Information System (NIFAIS) concludes that a total of 286,037 head of calves were registered over the first half of 2024. This is 16,558 head of calves or 5.5 per cent behind levels reported during the corresponding period of 2023.
Within this overall decline of calf registrations, beef sired calves reported a decline of 6.5 per cent or 15,622 head meanwhile, dairy sired calves were back only 1.5 per cent or 936 head.
Agricultural market analyst, Claire McAnearney, said, “The breed to report the largest year-on-year decline of 20 per-cent was that of Wagyu, which consisted of 1,595 Wagyu calves registered over the first six months of 2024 compared to 1,994 head registered for the corresponding period of 2023.”
Another breed to report a major registration decline was that of Jersey calves, which were back 19 per-cent year-on-year, with a total of 686 head of calves registered for the first half of this year compared to 842 head registered during the corresponding period in 2023.
Jersey calf registrations for the first six months of this year are also 13 per-cent behind levels during the corresponding period of 2022.
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