The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) says that calf registrations have reached 1,601,637 head for the year to date. The data compiled from information gathered from the week ending 22 April, shows that 67,793 calves were registered on farms in the seven previous days. This is a 19,627 head decline compared to the same week in 2021. According to ICBF, overall calf registrations are behind those from 2021 by a total of 17,399.
Calves born to beef dams were recorded at 28,487 registered in the aforementioned week for 2022, which is a decline of 12,864 compared to the same week in 2021. Overall 342,954 calves have been registered to beef dams in 2022 so far this year. This is 30,132 behind the same period in 2021 when 373,086 calves had been registered to beef dams by this point. Regarding calves registered to dairy dams, total registrations for the year are 12,733 ahead of 2021.
For 2022 so far, some 1,258,683 head have been registered, compared to 1,245,950 for the same period in 2021. There were 39,306 head registered to dairy dams in the week ending April 22, which is a reduction of 6,763 compared to the same week in 2021.
Calf registrations up to and including the week ending 22 April, 2022:
- Dairy calf births: 1,258,683 (+12,733)
- Beef calf births: 342,954 (+30,132)
- Total births: 1,601,637 (+17,399)