Beef kill: 2025 cow supply down by almost 80,000 head
Latest beef kill figures show the 2025 cow kill has declined by almost 80,000 head compared to the same time period last year.
Figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) show that as of Sunday, November 23 of this year, just under 321,000 cows have been slaughtered at DAFM-approved factories.
The table below details cattle supplies in the week ending Sunday, November 23, compared to the same week of last year, and the cumulative kill-to-date this year compared to last year.
| Animal Type | Week Starting 2025-11-17 | Equivalent Last Year | Cumulative 2025 | Cumulative 2024 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Bulls | 1,706 | 1,767 | 92,632 | 95,320 | -2,688 |
| Bulls | 355 | 395 | 21,743 | 26,292 | -4,549 |
| Steers | 12,054 | 14,823 | 565,337 | 627,891 | -62,554 |
| Cows | 8,129 | 10,373 | 320,988 | 398,946 | -77,958 |
| Heifers | 9,835 | 12,353 | 446,780 | 468,155 | -21,375 |
| Total | 32,079 | 39,711 | 1,447,480 | 1,616,604 | -169,124 |
This is almost 80,000 (77,958) fewer cows than were processed in the same time period last year. The cow category has seen the largest numbers decline to date this year.
The steer kill is down by over 62,500 and the heifer kill is back by over 21,000 head.
The graph below shows how weekly beef kill numbers to date this year have been comparing to last year:
Weekly kill numbers are still running over 7,500 head/week below last year but have stabilised in the past three weeks at 31-32,000 head of cattle/week.
The total 2025 beef kill is down by almost 170,000 head of cattle (excluding veal) and supplies are not expected to recover to any significant degree from now to the year end.
