Figures of the number of sheep that have been imported to the Republic of Ireland (ROI) have been provided to Agriland by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
These figures were gathered by the department from the TRACES NT system, which monitors animal movements, both within the European Union (EU) and from non-EU countries.
A total of 190,031 live head of sheep were imported to the ROI in the opening six months of the year.
The table below details live sheep imports for the first half of 2024 with a breakdown by place of origin:
| Month | NI | Hungary | France | Spain | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52,407 | 74 | 52,481 | ||
| February | 35,056 | 35,056 | |||
| March | 39,983 | 6 | 39,989 | ||
| April | 24,895 | 24,895 | |||
| May | 17,010 | 1 | 2 | 17,013 | |
| June | 20,600 | 20,600 | |||
| Total | 189,951 | 1 | 2 | 80 | 190,031 |
Sheep from Northern Ireland (NI) accounted for nearly all of the sheep imports to the ROI to-date this year.
52,407 sheep came from NI in January, which remains the highest number in a single month in 2024.
The lowest number of sheep imported to the ROI was during May, when just 17,010 came from NI.
Sheep were imported from three other countries in 2024 to-date; Hungary, France, and Spain.
Just one sheep came to the ROI from Hungary to-date this year, while a total of two sheep came from France. These three sheep from the two countries were imported to Ireland in May.
Spain was the origin of the second highest number of sheep imported to the ROI in 2024 to-date.
However, Spanish sheep made up just 80 of the total this year, with the majority of them arriving in January (74 head).
The age data of these sheep is not included as it is not captured for all consignments, a DAFM spokesperson explained.
A total of 435,088 head of sheep were imported into the country in 2023, representing a rise of 12,928 head from 2022.
