Beef kill: Factory cattle supply drops over 6,000 head in 2 weeks
Latest beef kill figures show weekly factory cattle supplies have declined significantly in the past two weeks.
Supplies had been remaining largely steady overall this year with around 30,000 head of cattle being slaughtered at Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)-approved factories per week.
In contrast to last year, where supplies were stronger in the first half of the year and dropped off in the second half of the year, this year's weekly beef kill numbers had been more stable, albeit at lower levels.
However, this past two weeks have seen kill numbers take a noticeable drop-off and prices started to firm up as factory competition increases for the available factory-fit cattle.
The graph below illustrates how factory cattle supplies have declined over the past two weeks:
Looking at the overall kill numbers to date this year, supplies are down 9.4% or almost 81,500 head on the same time period of last year.
The cow kill has seen the largest decline this year with kill numbers down by over 15% or almost 30,000 head.
The table below details weekly beef kill numbers in the week ending Sunday, June 28, 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 June 28 | Same week of 2025 | Weekly Change | Cumulative 2026 | Cumulative 2025 | Cumulative Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Bulls | 2,402 | 2,937 | -535 (-18.2%) | 61,343 | 62,227 | -884 (-1.4%) |
| Bulls | 415 | 469 | -54 (-11.5%) | 12,759 | 12,739 | +20 (+0.2%) |
| Steers | 8,345 | 10,409 | -2,064 (-19.8%) | 296,381 | 318,524 | -22,143 (-7.0%) |
| Cows | 6,103 | 6,577 | -474 (-7.2%) | 166,841 | 196,807 | -29,966 (-15.2%) |
| Heifers | 6,556 | 8,570 | -2,014 (-23.5%) | 248,921 | 277,423 | -28,502 (-10.3%) |
| Total | 23,821 | 28,962 | -5,141 (-17.8%) | 786,245 | 867,720 | -81,475 (-9.4%) |
The cumulative heifer kill is down by 10.3% or 28,500 head and the cumulative steer kill is down by 22,100 head or 7%.
Last week's beef kill was down 17.8% on the same week of 2025 but cumulative supplies are expected to recover later this year.
Anecdotal conversations with farmers and industry personnel suggest that supplies of shed-finished cattle are depleted and larger numbers of cattle at grass are not yet factory fit.
It remains to be seen how much longer supplies will remain subdued and when kill numbers will begin to recover.
