August factory cattle supply to date surges by 27% versus last year
Weekly factory beef kill numbers have surged in the past three weeks.
Supply numbers in the week ending Sunday, August 9, are running over 6,500 head or almost 27% above the same week of last year.
Weekly factory supply numbers have increased for the past five consecutive weeks, despite the August bank holiday last week on Monday (August 3).
Supplies have been trending ahead of last year over the past five weeks also, despite the cumulative beef kill being down by almost 64,000 head or over 6% this year.
The graph below illustrates how factory cattle supplies have increased over the past five weeks:
The dry conditions experienced throughout July and into August has caused grass supplies to burn up in several regions of the country.
While some areas have received a decent level of rainfall, other parts of the country have received very little and soil moisture deficits (SMDs) remain high.
This has forced many farmers with forward beef cattle to house stock earlier than usual for finishing.
Its impact on factory cattle supplies into the autumn remains to be seen.
Some expect larger volumes of finished cattle could come on stream earlier than usual, which could lead to supplies easing off in the final quarter of the year but it remains to be seen if this trend will materialise.
The table below details weekly beef kill numbers in the week ending Sunday, August 9, versus the same week of last year, the cumulative beef kill-to-date this year versus the same week of last year, as well as the change in numbers and percentage changes:
| Animal Type | Week ending Sun, Aug 9, 2026 | Same week of 2025 | Weekly change | Cumulative 2026 | Cumulative 2025 | Cumulative Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulls | 570 | 529 | +41 (+7.8%) | 15,728 | 15,711 | +17 (+0.1%) |
| Cows | 6,607 | 4,953 | +1,654 (+33.4%) | 209,841 | 230,630 | -20,789 (-9.0%) |
| Heifers | 8,757 | 7,185 | +1,572 (+21.9%) | 295,453 | 321,678 | -26,225 (-8.2%) |
| Steers | 13,205 | 9,934 | +3,271 (+32.9%) | 359,616 | 375,345 | -15,729 (-4.2%) |
| Young Bulls | 1,635 | 1,667 | -32 (-1.9%) | 72,339 | 73,394 | -1,055 (-1.4%) |
| Total | 30,774 | 24,268 | +6,506 (+26.8%) | 952,977 | 1,016,758 | -63,781 (-6.3%) |
Despite the jump in weekly supplies, the cumulative 2026 beef kill-to-date is now running almost 64,000 head or 6.3% below last year.
The unpredictable nature of weekly factory cattle supplies can sometimes cause challenges when supplying markets.
Industry personnel will often state the importance of knowing what supply is available when going to a new market, be it for Irish beef or lamb.
Customers like supply assurances before dealing with their suppliers and when supplies drop off, demand needs to be filled or else be lost to an alternative protein source.
The 2025 Irish beef kill saw supplies drop by 213,000 head on the previous year.
According to Bord Bia, 1.59 million cattle were slaughtered in Ireland in 2025.
The 2026 supply forecast is for a beef kill of 1.56-1.6 million cattle.
