73% of factory cattle sourced from non-CFU herds in Q1 of 2025
Over 70% of the cattle slaughtered at Irish factories in the first three months of 2025 were sourced from farms that are not registered as a Controlled Finishing Unit (CFU).
Latest DAFM figures on the kill numbers at EU approved slaughter plants show that 125,000 cattle were sourced from CFU's in the first quarter of this year.
DAFM figures show a total of 460,700 cattle were slaughtered at Irish factories in the first quarter (Q1) of this year, indicating that 27% of the factory cattle supply was sourced from CFUs this year and 73% of cattle were sourced from non-CFU herds.
The table below details the kill numbers at EU approved slaughter plants originating in CFUs:
| Month | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25,500 | 28,500 | 37,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 |
| February | 25,500 | 35,000 | 35,500 | 39,000 | 42,000 |
| March | 28,500 | 36,000 | 36,500 | 36,000 | 43,000 |
| Total: | 79,500 | 99,500 | 109,000 | 115,000 | 125,000 |
As of December 2024, there were 455 herds that had CFU or ‘feedlot’ status in Ireland.
As part of Ireland’s Bovine TB Eradication Programme, if a beef finishing herd meets the necessary criteria, it is allowed to avail of a special status – known as a CFU.
A CFU herd is a specialised finisher of beef that does not deliberately engage in the active breeding of animals.
It is a non-breeding herd which disposes of all cattle on the holding direct for slaughter, and poses a minimal risk of infecting cattle on adjacent holdings.
To be considered eligible for CFU status, the holding must fulfill at least one of the following three criteria:
- The cattle are permanently housed (never on pasture), or;
- There are no contiguous holdings with cattle, or;
- The boundaries are walled, double-fenced or equivalent, so as to prevent any direct contact with cattle on contiguous holdings;
- When a herd meets the criteria to be regarded as a CFU under the Bovine TB Eradication Programme, the herd is restricted under the TB regulations and a special official supervisory and testing protocol is established;
- Such herds are not exempt from testing, reactor removal, or disinfection requirements. Restricted CFU herds (feedlots) are TB tested at least once a year.
According to DAFM, the CFU status arrangement “allows the delivery of an effective level of disease risk management while controlling the risk of further disease spread in compliance with animal health legislation, and enabling business continuity in this particular type of enterprise through the inward movement of cattle”.
Cattle from CFU herds (feedlots) restricted under the TB Eradication Programme are only permitted to move to an EU-approved slaughter plant and may not be exported.
