The Republic's meat plants slaughtered 1.6 million cattle during 2002 for export, a drop of 6.4 per cent on the previous year.
Figures published in Bord Bia's "Market Monitor" showed a 9.9 per cent decline in the number of steers processed at the factories.
The plants processed 38,939 bulls, a drop of nearly 40 per cent on the previous year's kill, and 407,670 heifers, an increase of 11.2 per cent. The number of cows processed for export came to 316,213 animals, a drop of 10.6 per cent on the 2001 kill.
Live exports of cattle came to 118,916 animals, an overall increase of 25.3 per cent on the previous year. However, the number of live cattle exported to Northern Ireland was down by 44.5 per cent to 25,330.
Exports to the Continent increased by 75 per cent to 68,625 animals, most of which were calves. There was also a fall of 18.1 per cent in the number of sheep processed at the State's export plants: 2.7 million animals were processed.
Of these, 2.3 million were lambs and the remaining animals were cast ewes or rams.
There was also a dramatic decline in the number of sheep exported live. This trade fell by 58.3 per cent to 3,191 animals, all of which were sent to the Continent.
The "Monitor" also reported a 4 per cent decrease in the number of cattle artificial inseminations during the first half of the year.
These fell by 24,000 on corresponding 2001 levels to just below 540,000 head, reflecting the lower breeding herd which was first noted in the June cattle survey.