Some 235,549 cattle have been slaughtered in Department of Agriculture approved beef export plants this year. When compared to the same time last year, that’s an increase of 6,008 head or 2.6%.
So far this year, 38,946 young bulls have been processed in Irish factories – up by 2,199 head when compared to the corresponding period in 2017.
The number of steers slaughtered across Ireland has also built rapidly; slaughterings have topped out at 75,715 head. In addition, some 69,917 heifers were slaughtered during the first seven weeks of 2018.
Meanwhile, the number of cows slaughtered in Irish plants has actually decreased on the quantity witnessed during the corresponding period in 2017. Between January 1 and February 18, some 46,533 cows were processed in Irish plants.
Last week, 35,838 cattle were processed in factories across Ireland. This was a steady increase of 824 head compared to the previous week.
Looking at steer throughput, some 11,871 steers were killed during the seventh full week of the year – a jump of 718 head or 6.4% on the previous week. On the back of strong market demand, cow throughput also increased to reach 7,550 head.
On the other hand, there was a noticeable decrease in young bull slaughterings. Some 5,038 young bulls were slaughtered during the week ending February 18 – down 699 head on the previous week.
In addition, there was also a slight drop in the number of heifers processed last week. A total of 9,977 heifers were slaughtered last week – down 0.2% on the week before.
Weekly beef kill changes