A total of 169 Irish cattle died in transit to Lebanon during 1999, the Department of Agriculture and Food has said.
In the last two years the live trade with the Middle East has reopened through Lebanon, which imported 71,574 animals last year.
The Department had put stringent regulations in place to reduce the number of deaths, which soared in 1994-95 when more than 400,000 animals were being shipped to the region.
Figures issued recently by An Bord Bia showed the total live cattle exports in 1999 came to over 416,000 head.
This, said the board, represented an increase of 245,000 animals on 1998 levels, which stood at 171,000 head. The majority of the exports were to other EU countries.
The figures show almost 80,000 finished cattle were exported in 1999, most of which went to Lebanon; 106,000 calves were exported live in 1999, with Spain being the principal destination.
Live exports to continental Europe reached a record level at 343,000 head, an increase of 200,000 on 1998 levels.
Spain imported 196,000 animals last year, almost 110,000 above the 1998 figures. Exports to Italy were more than double 1998 levels at 75,000 head. The majority of exports to Spain and Italy were young animals destined for feed-lots.
Figures issued by the Central Statistics Office on livestock last month showed that total cattle numbers in the State were down by 385,000, or 5.4 per cent below the previous year's total and the lowest number of cattle since 1995.