Beef kill: Factory cow supplies up by 25,000 head this year

The number of cows slaughtered at Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) approved factories to date this year has increased by over 25,000 head on last year.

According to DAFM figures, over 265,000 (266,885) cows were slaughtered at DAFM-approved factories to date this year as of Sunday, August 11. In the same time period of last year, just over 240,000 (241,685) cows had been slaughtered – marking an increase of 25,170 head.

Heifer supplies have also increased with a total of 305,414 heifers slaughtered to date this year, up 8,151 head on the 297,263 heifers slaughtered in the same time period of last year.

The table below details the beef kill for the week ending Sunday, August 11 versus the same week of last year and the cumulative beef kill this year versus last year:

While the cow and heifer supplies are up, young bull and steer (bullock) supplies are both below last year’s levels.

The young bull kill to date this year is 5,833 head below last year while the steer kill is 11,296 head below last year’s levels.

The graph below details how weekly beef kills over the past 12 weeks have been comparing to the same 12 weeks of last year:

The drop-off in supply last week (as seen in the graph above) can be partially attributed to the August Bank Holiday Monday and resulting four-day kill at most beef processing sites.

However, the graph also shows that the late July beef supplies failed to increase to the levels seen last year.

As farmers will remember, wet conditions prevailed throughout July and August last year which resulted in more farmers drafting cattle off grass for slaughter earlier in the year.

Looking at the factory prices overview from last week, increases were seen in the average prices paid for both cows and steers with the heifer price remaining relatively stable.