Last week’s beef factory throughput has bounced back considerably following the slight drop in kill numbers in the previous week as a result of the October Bank Holiday.

The number of cattle processed at factories approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine last week stood at 37,494 head including veal.

While the previous week’s figures were back slightly, the overall kill numbers held surprisingly high despite the week only having a 4-day kill.

Last week’s kill was the highest so far this year.

The week commencing November 1, seen the highest weekly kill in the cow category so far this year.

It is likely that throughput will begin to level off as the year draws to a close and Bord Bia has predicted that this years cumulative beef kill will be over 100,000 head of cattle behind last year’s kill.

However, it is worth noting that a big contributer to this drop is the fact there will be 1 week less of a kill this year compared to last year leaving the cumulative kill 35,000-odd short by default.

Here’s a look at the kill figures (excluding veal):

An analysis of the above figures indicates that the overall kill this year is back in all categories and the total beef kill (excluding veal) is now 65,146 head behind last year.

The total kill including veal is almost 71,000 head behind last year.

Cattle exports

In other cattle news, a Co. Cork-based cattle exporter has confirmed to Agriland it has begun sourcing “up to 2,000” Friesian bulls for export to Libya.

The contract has been secured by Curzon Livestock and the consignment is set to leave from Cork in the next few weeks.


The bulls being sought after by Curzon Livestock are required to weigh in the region of 300kg and 500kg, have no horns and be free from ringworm.

Farmers with suitable cattle who are interested in supplying bulls to Curzon Livestock should contact: 021 489 7881, to find out more.

Concluding, a spokesperson from the company has expressed confidence there will be further shipments of these type of cattle as well as others into the future and noted “2022 is shaping up to be a very good year for exports”.

The consignment is completely separate to another livestock exporter – Viastar – which earlier this week, announced it is seeking Friesian bulls for the Libyan market also.