A total of 32,465 cattle (excluding veal) were slaughtered in the week ending Sunday, June 18, according to latest figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
While the weekly kill did hit 32,000 head in late May, this is the first week that cattle supplies (excluding veal) surpassed 32,000 head since the week commencing Monday, February 27.
Conversations with factory agents and procurement staff countrywide would indicate that supplies of this season’s grass cattle are beginning to arrive in growing numbers.
Prices for all types of finished beef cattle have been in decline over the past number of weeks and it remains to be seen if trade will begin to steady into late summer and early autumn.
The table below gives an overview of the beef kill in the first 24 weeks of this year compared to last year:
Animal Week ending June 18 Equivalent last year Cumulative 2023 Cumulative 2022 Young Bulls 3,509 3,433 63,747 72,133 Bulls 582 508 12,848 13,058 Steers 11,392 10,839 285,429 294,741 Cows 8,460 8,718 180,286 188,118 Heifers 8,522 8,418 227,428 236,133 Total 32,465 31,916 769,738 804,183
As can be seen from the table above, the cumulative supply of cattle to date this year has dipped by 34,445 head on the same time period last year. Supplies are down for all cattle types.
A total of just under 770,000 cattle have been slaughtered at DAFM-approved factories to date this year compared to 804,000 head in the same time period last year.
Looking at the weekly supply, the number of heifers, steers and young bulls slaughtered last week was above the corresponding week of 2022 while the cow supply was down.
As the year progresses, cattle supply and trade forecasts would suggest supplies of finished cattle will pick up into the third quarter and final quarter of the year. The direction of beef price remains unclear however it is hoped the current downward price trend can at least stabilise over the coming weeks.