Beef kill: Strong steer and heifer supplies continue
The number of steers (bullocks) slaughtered last week was over 200 head above the same week of last year, according to latest beef kill figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The total number of cattle slaughtered in the week ending Sunday, June 1, was just over 29,000, which was 1,500 head below the same week of the previous year.
The cumulative kill-to-date this year stands at just over 752,000, which is almost 18,000 cattle above the number slaughtered in the same period last year.
The table below details cattle supplies in the week ending Sunday, June 1, compared to the same week of last year, and the cumulative kill-to-date this year compared to last year:
Type Week ending Sun, June 1 Equivalent
Last Year Cumulative
2025 Cumulative
2024 Young Bulls 2,395 2,915 50,773 53,313 Bulls 413 738 10,481 11,325 Steers 11,438 11,224 277,905 267,259 Cows 6,470 7,313 169,287 182,356 Heifers 8,429 8,502 243,972 220,202 Total 29,145 30,692 752,418 734,455 Source: DAFM
Looking at the cumulative figures in the table above, it can be seen that the steer and heifer kills are both up on last year, with stronger prices likely encouraging more farmers to fatten and finish prime cattle earlier than usual.
The cow kill has fallen this year after a record cow kill last year and the young bull kill has continued to decline as a result of market preference for steer beef.
The graph below shows how weekly beef kill numbers this year have been comparing to last year:
As the above graph indicates, 2025 kill supplies have been trending below 2024 weekly kill numbers since early May. This trend is expected to continue for the remainder of the year.
Cattle supplies in the first half of the year were above last year but with less cattle in the national inventory available for slaughter, farmers will be hoping the supply-demand scenario will remain in the farmers' favour and prices will remain in a positive position.
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