The national beef kill at export plants is currently running approximately 70,000 head behind 2014, figures from the Department of Agriculture show.

The cumulative beef-kill in Department of Agriculture approved export plants sits at 1.26m for the week ending October 18, which has dropped from 1.33m in the same period in 2014, this is a difference of 69,546 head.

According to these figures, the weekly beef kill has also dropped and is back by 5,448 head on the same week in 2014, but despite this the beef price remains constant.

There has been a drastic increase in the cumulative number of steers coming forward for slaughter, with total steer slaughterings up by 22,965 head. The week-on-week kill has also dropped by 3,311 head.

These figures also indicate that there has been a substantial drop in the number of heifers slaughtered for the week ending October 18, but this drop has not been as severe as the drop in steer slaughterings, it says.

In total, figures from the Department of Agriculture show that the total heifer kill has dropped by 11,395 head or by 2,184 on the same week in 2014.

However, despite the week-on-week fall in steer and heifer slaughterings, there has been an increase in the weekly young bull slaughterings, which is 491 ahead of the same week in 2014, the cumulative has dropped by 42,403.

Cull slaughterings have been quite variable, the number of cows coming forward for slaughter is slightly down on 2014 levels with 451 fewer last week compared to the same week in 2015, according to the Department.

However, despite the fall in cow slaughterings, there has been an increase in the weekly number of bulls being slaughtered (+58) on the same week in 2014, but the cumulative cull bull kill has reduced by 8,477 head.