Beef kill: Weekly factory supplies remain below 25,500 head
A total of 25,400 cattle were slaughtered at Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)-approved factories in the week ending Sunday, August 3.
Last week marked the fourth consecutive week kill numbers remained below 25,500 head. Weekly supplies have failed to reach 30,000 head since late April.
In the same week last year, over 32,000 head of cattle were slaughtered, leaving last week's beef kill almost 7,000 head short of the same week last year.
| Category | Week ending Sun, Aug 3 | Same week last year | Cumulative 2025 | Cumulative 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young bulls | 1,598 | 1,430 | 71,727 | 74,598 |
| Bull | 496 | 823 | 15,182 | 17,788 |
| Steer | 10,805 | 13,179 | 365,411 | 367,855 |
| Cow | 5,194 | 8,190 | 225,679 | 260,110 |
| Heifer | 7,308 | 8,720 | 314,491 | 297,110 |
| V (veal) | 6 | 29 | 2,818 | 19,678 |
| Z (veal) | 10 | 80 | 1,675 | 1,287 |
| Total | 25,417 | 32,451 | 996,983 | 1,038,426 |
Looking at the total kill to date this year, supplies are now almost 41,500 head below last year when veal numbers are included.
Bord Bia expect the beef kill to fall by 70-90,000 head this year, with the prime cattle kill expected to fall by up to 8%.
While the overall beef kill is down this year, the heifer kill is up by over 17,000 head.
The strong uplift in prices in the first half of this year saw more farmers push cattle on for an earlier finish which led to higher than expected kills in the first half of the year.
This is expected to have a knock-on effect in the second half of the year with lower than expected cattle supplies.
According to Bord Bia: "Feedback from the market is indicating that prime cattle are being brought forward and being processed younger and lighter than anticipated, a trend driven by strong deadweight beef prices.
"As a result, the reduction in the prime cattle supply is expected to be pushed out to later in the year."
