Record numbers of cattle are currently being slaughtered out of feedlots. Almost one in three cattle slaughtered in March 2023 came from TB restricted units/feedlots.

The latest figures from the Department of Agriculture show that there were 36,500 cattle killed out of TB-restricted units in March 2023, up 500 head on the March 2022 figure and up 8,000 head on March 2021.

There have been 109,000 cattle slaughtered out of these units so far in 2023, up 9,500 head on the same period in 2022. Factories have delayed some farmers killing their cattle this week , citing capacity issues. However, most are working very short weeks.

Quotes remain steady with bullocks bought at €5.25/kg and heifers at €5.30/kg. However, factories continue to talk down the trade and delay farmers killing cattle in some instances.

Kepak has announced increased bonuses on animals coming through its Twenty20 club. In a surprise move, it has introduced a bonus payment of 25c/kg on under-19 month bulls once all programme criteria has been met. The standard Twenty20 bonus has increased to 30c/kg.