NI cattle kill down in 2023 but more sheep
To the end of September, fewer cattle have been processed at NI abattoirs when compared to 2022, but the 2023 kill is still the second highest on record.
Prime cattle processed have totalled 254,008, down 4% or 11,551 head when compared to the same period last year.
The 2023 cow kill is at 82,415 head, down 1% or 1,206 on 2022 levels. Overall, the total cattle kill is down 13,441 head compared to the equivalent from 2022.
Sheep
In contrast, the NI sheep kill is running 10% higher year on year with 349,018 lambs and hoggets processed up to the end of September, compared to 316,993 last year. However, the ewe kill is marginally lower at 19,679 head.
Factory quotes for prime cattle are generally steady, although the base quote for cows is down by as much as 10p/kg at some plants.
Deals remain on 470p/kg to 472p/kg for in-spec steers and heifers, with cows around 360p/kg for suckler types.
Fat lambs are also steady on quotes of 515p/kg with prices ranging from 520p to 540p/kg, depending on numbers.
English cow numbers in decline
The latest figures published by Defra show that the number of suckler cows in England is continuing on a downward spiral.
In June 2023 the total stood at 627,101, down 3.6% on the previous year and the sixth year in a row that the herd has fallen. Across a dataset that goes back to 1996, the 2023 total is the lowest total ever recorded in England. Back in 1996 there were 815,000 suckler cows on English farms.
The English dairy herd has also been in decline in recent years, with 1.068m cows on farms in June 2023, down 0.7% on the previous year. Mirroring what is happening in beef, it is also the lowest dairy cow total going back to 1996 – there were 1.785m dairy cows on farms that year.
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