Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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533. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the increased animal mortality rate for spring 2018 vis á vis spring 2017 nationally, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31633/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The following Table provides details of On Farm Deaths in 2017 and 2018 for the period January to April inclusive. The information was extracted from the Department's Animal Identification and Movement Database (AIM). 

Care needs to be taken in the interpretation of raw data in the absence of a denominator i.e. the animal population, the underlying number of births, etc.

An analysis is conducted annually by the Department on cattle herds accounting for farm size, type and region to understand variations in welfare outcomes. 

The six-month calf mortality rate in 2017 is similar or lower than for the previous ten years.

A recent Department publication in the Irish Veterinary Journal reported a mean herd calf mortality rate of 5% – lower than other EU countries and compared with third countries with similar management practices.