Beef kill: Is the factory kill numbers drop due to less demand or tighter supply?
The recent talk from mart staff, auctioneers and factory agents of a tightening in supply of factory cattle numbers materialised last week, with the beef kill declining to just over 27,000 head.
While this is still a sizable number of cattle to process in a week, it is well below the trend this year of weekly kill numbers hovering around 30,000 head/week.
There are two differing industry narratives currently in relation to the drop-off in the weekly beef kill.
Some industry personnel are claiming that there is a temporary tightness in factory cattle supplies and expect this to remain for several weeks before larger numbers of cattle start to come fit off grass.
Other factory procurement bosses are saying that many outlets are purchasing fewer cattle for slaughter on a weekly basis citing slow demand and cold stores filled with beef as the reason for the drop in weekly kill numbers.
While both may be possible issues in specific cases, the reality is that beef prices paid to farmers has increased in the past week after several weeks of decline and some outlets have moved to increase their price offer for this week also.
The table below details weekly beef kill numbers in the week ending Sunday, June 21, 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 21 | Same week of 2025 | Change | Cumulative 2026 | Cumulative 2025 | Cumulative Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Bulls | 2,537 | 2,847 | -310 (-10.9%) | 58,845 | 59,290 | -445 (-0.8%) |
| Bulls | 753 | 569 | +184 (+32.3%) | 12,340 | 12,270 | +70 (+0.6%) |
| Steers | 10,144 | 9,864 | +280 (+2.8%) | 288,136 | 308,115 | -19,979 (-6.5%) |
| Cows | 6,050 | 7,147 | -1,097 (-15.3%) | 160,726 | 190,230 | -29,504 (-15.5%) |
| Heifers | 7,666 | 8,392 | -726 (-8.7%) | 242,378 | 268,853 | -26,475 (-9.8%) |
| Total | 27,150 | 28,819 | -1,669 (-5.8%) | 762,425 | 838,758 | -76,333 (-9.1%) |
Looking at the cumulative supply figure for this year, the beef kill-to-date this year is back by over 76,000 head or 9.1%.
According to Bord Bia, the 2026 factory cattle supply is expected to remain somewhat similar to 2025 supply numbers. This would suggest supplies are expected to recover later this year.
The graph below shows how weekly beef kill numbers have been trending compared to last year:
As can be seen in the graph above, weekly factory cattle supplies had been remaining steady until last week, when kill numbers took a noticeable dip.
It remains to be seen in the official beef kill figures if supplies have recovered again this week, but the arrival of warm dry weather across the country likely resulted in kill numbers remaining low with farmers taking advantage of the spell to get a handle on fieldwork which had been delayed until now.
