Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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547. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of suckler cows in the national herd in each of the years 2000 to 2012. [18882/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Data on the national herd published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) categorises cows as either dairy or other cows with the latter essentially kept for beef production. The statistical trend for beef cows in the period from 2000 to 2012 is presented in the table below. The figures show that the size of the suckler cow herd has remained relatively stable over the last 12 years albeit with a gradual decline recorded in the overall population. However, the December 2012 results show a 4% increase in the numerical strength of the herd relative to 2011 as high cattle prices in recent years have encouraged beef producers to restock their herds.

Source: CSO December Livestock Survey

*Revised data.