Beef kill: Cattle supply down almost 36,000 head on 2022
According to the latest beef kill figures, the factory supply of finished cattle in the first 19 weeks of this year is 35,678 head (excluding veal) behind figures from the same time last year.
While supplies are lower than last year, beef kills are remaining consistent in size, ranging between 32,000 head and 30,500 head for the past four consecutive weeks.
In the same four weeks of last year, weekly beef kills ranged from 31,600 head of cattle to 37,000 head of cattle.
The graph below shows the weekly beef kill to date this year compared to last year excluding veal:
The table below outlines individual categories, which show a decline in kills across them all.
The table below shows the beef kill (excluding veal) in the first 19 weeks of this year and last year:
| Category | Week 19 2023 | Week 19 2022 | Cumulative 2023 | Cumulative 2022 | Cumulative difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Bulls | 2,348 | 3,134 | 47,557 | 55,957 | -8,400 |
| Bulls | 698 | 766 | 9,604 | 9,987 | -383 |
| Steers | 12,439 | 13,774 | 227,376 | 239,342 | -11,966 |
| Cows | 6,986 | 8,003 | 141,689 | 145,932 | -4,243 |
| Heifers | 9,169 | 10,048 | 184,014 | 194,700 | -10,686 |
| Total | 31,640 | 35,725 | 610,240 | 645,918 | -35,678 |
The steer category has seen the largest decreases, while the bull category has seen just a small reduction in numbers.
The cow kill had been ahead of 2022 up until week 16, at which point it fell behind and this gap has only increased since.
This week’s factory quotes see several of the larger factory outlets put forward quotes 5-10c/kg lower for all types of cattle.
Prices had been remaining relatively steady for the past three months and the move to reduce quotes will come as a surprise to many beef finishers.
