Confirmation and carcass weights of dairy-beef cattle in decline
Both the confirmation and carcass weight of dairy-beef cattle has been in decline in recent years, latest data from the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation has shown.
Examining data up to the end of 2024, a recent post on the ICBF website highlighted ways of improving the beef merit of progeny from the dairy herd.
Early indications on the 2025 beef kill is showing a recovery in overall steer carcass weights (including suckler-bred cattle) this year but a continued decline in overall heifer carcass weights.
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) data shows that from January to August 2025, the average steer and heifer carcass weights are 341kg and 303.4kg respectively.
The average steer carcass weight is up 1.5kg to date this year, while the average heifer carcass weight is down by 0.7kg.
The table below compares average carcass weights by cattle type from January to August of both 2024 and 2025:
| Year | Steers | Heifers | Young Bulls | Cows | Bulls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 339.5kg | 304.1kg | 372.1kg | 293.9kg | 428.6kg |
| 2025 | 341.0kg | 303.4kg | 374.0kg | 299.5kg | 433.0kg |
| Change | +1.5kg | -0.7kg | +1.9kg | +5.6kg | +4.4kg |
Looking specifically at carcass weight and confirmation trends for dairy-beef cattle, the data available up to 2024 shows an overall decline in both these performance aspects.
The two graphs below show carcass weight and confirmation trends for dairy-beef cattle from 2015-2024:
The ICBF data shows shows an overall decline in dairy-beef carcass weights since 2020, with this trend more noticeable in male dairy-beef cattle.
Conformation has been generally declining since 2019, with this trend particularly noticeable for dairy-beef young bulls.
With dairy cow numbers having increased from just over 1 million in 2011 to 1.5 million in 2025 (based on figures at October 1 each year), by default, more of the Irish beef kill is originating from the dairy herd.
The use of sexed semen has more than doubled in the last number of years, and this upward trend is expected to continue over the next 10 years, according to the ICBF.
Over 6,000 herds used sexed semen in 2025 and 30% of the total artificial insemination (AI) serves on dairy cows has been to sexed semen.
This is resulting in a fall in the number of male dairy cattle and a rise in the number of dairy-beef cattle being produced in Ireland.
The ICBF believes that higher usage of the Dairy Beef Index (DBI) and the Commercial Beef Value (CBV) will help deliver increased carcass weight and carcass confirmation from the national dairy-beef herd.
