Latest beef kill figures show over 37,500 (37,539) cattle were slaughtered at Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)-approved factories in the week ending Sunday, September 8.
The cattle kill last week was up a significant 2,600 (2,658) head on the 34,881 head of cattle slaughtered in the previous week.
Weekly beef kill numbers have been increasing over the past four consecutive weeks, which is in contrast to the same four weeks of last year, when supply numbers had been in decline.
The graph below shows the increase in the total beef kill over the past four weeks and also shows how supplies are trending differently to last year:
While weekly supplies are on the rise, forecasts have indicated a drop off in the weekly supply of cattle into the final quarter of this year, but it remains to be seen to what extent this will materialise.
The cumulative beef kill to date this year is now at 1.18 million head (1,185,605), which is just over 19,000 (19,130) cattle above the same time of last year.
The table below details the beef kill for the week ending Sunday, September 8, versus the same week of last year and the cumulative beef kill this year versus last year:
Type Week ending Sep 8, 2024 Equivalent
Last YearCumulative
2024Cumulative
2023Young Bulls 968 1,257 79,928 87,066 Bulls 588 574 21,004 20,371 Steers 17,330 15,929 445,143 458,002 Cows 8,132 6,400 296,703 267,762 Heifers 10,521 8,431 342,827 333,274 Total 37,539 32,591 1,185,605 1,166,475
As the table above indicates, the largest volume of cattle slaughtered last week came from the steer category as larger volumes of steers come factory fit off grass.
Cumulatively, the growth in beef kill numbers this year is predominantly from the cow category which is up 28,941 head to date this year.
With the National Ploughing Championships set to kick off on Tuesday, September 17, price trends are 35c/kg above this time last year in cases, and it remains to be seen how price trends will materialise into the final quarter of the year.