1,669,138 movements were recorded in livestock marts in Ireland in 2019, according to the AIM Bovine Statistics Report 2019.
This figure, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, stated, includes 124,796 unsold movements.
In the 2019 report, the department provided a profile of mart movements by month, age, category, and gender.
Mart movements
According to the data, April recorded the highest number of movements at 249,337, followed by March at 230,028 and October at 225,518.
January was the quietest month, with 57,458 movements, followed by December at 65,613 and July at 72,705.
Month | Male | Female | Total |
January | 26,106 | 31,352 | 57,458 |
February | 79,520 | 65,677 | 145,197 |
March | 133,266 | 96,762 | 230,028 |
April | 134,002 | 115,335 | 249,337 |
May | 81,089 | 81,307 | 162,396 |
June | 43,792 | 44,481 | 88,273 |
July | 37,915 | 34,790 | 72,705 |
August | 46,911 | 38,454 | 85,365 |
September | 74,931 | 52,974 | 127,905 |
October | 127,297 | 98,221 | 225,518 |
November | 82,109 | 77,234 | 159,343 |
December | 30,763 | 34,850 | 65,613 |
Total | 897,701 | 771,437 | 1,669,138 |
Mart movements by breed:
- Limousin – 379,755;
- Charolais – 320,711;
- Friesian – 291,290;
- Aberdeen Angus – 282,854;
- Hereford – 219,742;
- Simmental – 60,121;
- Belgian Blue;
- Shorthorn – 16,020;
- Other – 56,623.
Farm-to-farm
Furthermore, 1,301,334 farm-to-farm movements were recorded, 621,014 for males and 680,320 for females.
March was the busiest month at 310,038, followed by April at 224,582 and May at 150,748. August was the month with the fewest farm-to-farm movements, at 48,172, followed by July at 55,025.
Under 3 million movements
Mart and farm-to-farm movements combined to give a total of 2,970,472. Overall, April recorded the highest number of movements at 459,375, followed by March at 454,610.
According to the DAFM, July recorded the fewest movements, at 127,730, followed by January at 128,782 and August at 133,537.
AIMS
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine maintains cattle traceability records on a central database known as the Animal Identification and Movement System (AIM).
The AIM system records all births, movements and disposals in accordance with EU requirements and therefore traces all bovines from birth to slaughter.
The traceability system “provides assurances to customers and consumers at home and abroad about the origin and traceability of beef, protects animal and human health and secures and maintains markets for Irish cattle and beef”.
The AIM Bovine Statistics Report 2019 provides comprehensive data on calf births, farm‐to farm and mart movements as well as details of cattle slaughtered in Department approved and Local Authority approved slaughter plants, live exports and on‐farm bovine deaths.
The report is compiled on an annual basis from data provided by farmers, livestock marts, Department -approved and Local authority approved slaughter plants and export locations to the AIM database. The Report contains valuable statistical information for use by interested stakeholders to monitor trends in the beef and dairy sectors.
Data and reports generated from the AIM system are provided by the Department to organisations including Bord Bia, Central Statistics Office (CSO), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), Teagasc as well as breed societies, farm groups and Meat Industry Ireland (MII).