With the end-of-year figures now included, the latest slaughter statistics published by DAERA show record numbers of cattle were processed in NI during 2024.

Last year’s total kill of 524,789 was 8.5% up on the 2023 total of 483,719 and nearly 19,000 ahead of the previous record kill in 2022. Back in 2021 the total kill stood at 463,616.

The surge in numbers seen in 2024 was mainly driven by big increases in steers and heifers coming to slaughter.

Steer numbers were up 8.5%, with heifer slaughterings increasing by 14.7%.

The total cow kill in 2024 of 120,514 was up 3.8% on the 2023 figure and is also the highest ever seen in NI.

Weights

Average weights for steers, heifers and cows were all down slightly when compared to 2023.

Steers averaged 357.3kg, with heifers at 318.7kg and cows at 295.9kg.

Young bulls were up marginally to average 344.8kg, however, they only account for 8.1% of the overall kill.