The factory cattle kill to date this year is up 25,000 head (excluding veal) from the same time last year, according to the latest beef kill figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

As of Sunday, April 20, of this year, a total of 571,000 cattle were killed at DAFM-approved factories - up 25,000 head from the 546,000 cattle slaughtered in the same time period of last year.

While supplies are up to date this year, the factory cattle supply is forecast to fall by approximately 87,000 head below last year's kill.

Bord Bia had initially forecast this supply drop to materialise in the first half of the year, but the strong beef trade in recent weeks likely encouraged more farmers to push cattle on for a finish at an earlier date.

The reduced cattle availability forecast for this year, coupled with the stronger kill earlier in the year, would indicate approximately 112,000 fewer cattle to be available between now and the end of the year.

The table below details the number of cattle slaughtered in the week ending Sunday, April 20 of this year versus last year, and the total kill to date this year versus last year:

As can be seen from the table above, the cow kill is down 8,400 head this year, while the steer and heifer kills are up 12,100 and 21,700 head respectively.

Bord Bia had initially forecast factory cattle supplies to drop by 8% and 7% in the first and second quarter of this year respectively and 2% in the second half of the year.

The strong supply earlier in the year will likely result in a more restricted supply of finished cattle between now and the year-end.