New figures on the composition of the 2022 factory beef kill show that 416,500 cattle that were processed at EU-approved slaughter plants in 2022, came from Controlled Finishing Units (CFUs) or feedlots.
The number of cattle coming from CFUs has been growing year-on-year and has increased by 153,500 cattle in the past five years.
According to figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), a total of 1.79 million cattle (excluding veal) were slaughtered at DAFM-approved factories in 2022.
The news comes as the DAFM has recently published the final figures on the number of cattle slaughtered from CFUs in 2022.
It is important to outline that while some of these CFUs are managed by beef-processing outlets, many in Ireland are farmer-owned.
The table below shows the beef kill numbers at EU-approved slaughter plants originating in Controlled Finishing Units (CFUs):
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 January 20,000 24,000 28,000 25,000 25,500 28,500 February 20,000 24,500 26,000 27,000 25,500 35,000 March 21,500 24,500 27,000 27,000 28,500 36,000 April 19,500 26,000 29,000 20,000 28,000 35,500 May 25,000 29,000 31,000 22,500 28,500 40,000 June 24,500 27,500 25,500 26,500 32,000 35,500 July 19,500 24,500 26,000 26,500 30,500 34,000 August 20,000 21,500 20,000 21,000 25,500 32,000 September 18,500 18,500 13,000 22,000 25,500 32,000 October 20,500 23,500 21,500 24,000 27,000 30,500 November 28,500 26,500 20,000 27,500 31,500 41000 December 25,500 25,000 21,500 30,000 33,000 36,500 Total 263,000 295,000 288,500 299,000 341,000 416,500
As of November 2022, there were 374 CFUs or ‘feedlots’ in Ireland.
On November 3, 2022, there were approximately 121,000 animals in CFUs. It can be therefore estimated that the average CFU had a herd size of 324 cattle in November 2022.
Assuming there were 374 CFUs in operation in Ireland last year, that would indicate the average number of cattle finished on each CFU in 2022 was approximately 1,114 head. While this may be the average figure, the reality is that some CFUs finish substantially higher numbers of cattle than others.
Another statistic worth mentioning from the 2022 beef kill is that 163,000 cattle were slaughtered within one week of a mart sale at both DAFM-approved and local authority-approved abattoirs in 2022.
What is a Controlled Finishing Unit?
As part of Ireland’s bovine tuberculosis (TB) eradication programme, if a beef finishing herd meets the necessary criteria, it is allowed to avail of a special status, known as a Controlled Finishing Unit (CFU).
A CFU herd is a specialised finisher of beef that does not deliberately engage in the active breeding of animals. It is a non-breeding herd which disposes of all cattle on the holding direct for slaughter and poses a minimal risk of infecting cattle on adjacent holdings.
To be considered eligible for CFU status, the holding must fulfill at least one of the following three criteria:
- The cattle are permanently housed (never on pasture) or;
- There are no contiguous holdings with cattle or;
- The boundaries are walled, double fenced or equivalent so as to prevent any direct contact with cattle on contiguous holdings.
When a herd meets the criteria to be regarded as a CFU under the bovine TB Eradication Programme, the herd is restricted under the TB Regulations and a special official supervisory and testing protocol is established.
Such herds are not exempt from testing, reactor removal or disinfection requirements. Restricted CFU herds (feedlots) are TB tested at least once a year.
According to the DAFM, the CFU status arrangement allows the delivery of an effective level of disease risk management while controlling the risk of further disease spread in compliance with animal health legislation, and enabling business continuity in this particular type of enterprise through the inward movement of cattle.
Cattle from CFU herds (feedlots) restricted under the TB Eradication programme are only permitted to move to an EU-approved slaughter plant and may not be exported.