Latest beef kill figures show that over 138,500 cows have been slaughtered at Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)-approved factories in the first 16 weeks of this year.
According to DAFM figures, as of Sunday, April 21, the cow kill this year is over 17,600 head above the figures from the same time period of last year. This equates to just over 1,100 extra cows/week being slaughtered in the first 16 weeks of this year.
Further analysis of the cow kill figures (with data for this available up to the end of March 2024) shows that the number of beef-bred cows being slaughtered has fallen, while the number of dairy bred cows being slaughtered has increased.
The table below gives an overview of dairy cows slaughtered at DAFM approved factories in the first three months of this year versus last year:
Month Dairy cows 2024 Dairy cows 2023 Difference January 29,724 23,163 +6,561 February 30,111 22,375 +7,736 March 27,015 24,078 +2,937 Total: 86,850 69,616 +17,234
The largest rise in the dairy cow kill to date was seen in March of this year, with a total of 30,111 dairy breed cows slaughtered at DAFM-approved factories – up 7,736 head from February 2023.
The table below gives an overview of beef-breed (suckler) cows slaughtered at DAFM approved factories in the first three months of this year versus last year:
Month Suckler cows 2024 Suckler cows 2023 Difference January 10,938 11,509 -571 February 9,350 9,575 -225 March 7,793 8,833 -1,040 Total: 28,081 29,917 -1,836
There are of course a number of factors attributing to the trends in cow kill figures. As the dairy cow numbers are increasing, naturally enough, the number of dairy cows being culled will also be increasing.
Suckler cow kills numbers fell in the first three months of this year, and the fall in the overall suckler cow numbers in Ireland is likely attributing to this. With less suckler cows in there country, there are less to be culled.
Updated figures on the weekly beef kill and the prices paid by cattle type, grade and factory can be found by clicking here.