Official figures show that some 40,881 cattle were killed in Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine approved beef plants last week.
This was an increase of 1,415 head on the previous week, with the number of calves processed last week being a contributing factor to the increase – at 3,933 head.
The cumulative kill for 2020 is now up to 366,548 head, with the inclusion of last week’s kill.
Looking at the figures in more detail, the number of steers and heifers processed last week was 13,102 head and 11,838 head respectively; these two together accounted for approximately 61% of the total weekly kill.
Cows accounted for the third-largest segment of last week’s kill, with some 7,606 head slaughtered, while there were 3,720 head of young bulls killed.
Aged bulls accounted for the smallest segment of the total kill again this week, with 682 head killed.
- Young bulls: 3,720 head (-234 head or -5.9%);
- Bulls: 682 head (-66 head or -8.8%);
- Steers: 13,102 head (+124 head or +1%);
- Cows: 7,606 head (+287 head or +3.9%);
- Heifers: 11,838 head (+396 head or +3.5%);
- Total: 36,948 head (+507 head or +1.4%).
Year-on-year supplies
There have been just over 366,500 cattle slaughtered so far this year, when taking into account last week’s kill.
This is an increase on the corresponding week in 2019, when there had been 364,393 cattle processed – a difference of 2,155 head between the two years.
Increases have occurred in the aged bull, steer and heifer categories so far this year; with steers showing the greatest increase at just shy of 10,000 more killed in 2020 than 2019.
However, despite the overall increase in kill numbers, there has been a decline in the number of young bulls and cows processed in 2020.
- Young bulls: 46,132 head (-13,014 head or -22%);
- Bulls: 5,545 head (+734 head or +15.3%);
- Steers: 121,451 head (+9,730 head or +8.7%);
- Cows: 66,616 head (-5,635 head or -7.8%);
- Heifers: 113,401 head (+3,850 head or +3.5%);
- Total: 366,548 head (+2,155 head or +0.6%).