LMC Report: Reduced Slaughterings In November

NORTHERN IRELAND, UK - In November, there was a sharp reduction in cattle slaughterings with the prime cattle kill down by nine per cent on November 2009 figures.
calendar icon 9 December 2010
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The total cattle kill was five per cent lower with an increase in the cow and calf kill compensating somewhat for the reduction in the prime kill. In November, steer slaughterings were 12 per cent lower than previous year levels. This was a substantial decline which is due to a sharp reduction in the number of male beef cattle on the ground this winter. This decline may be a reflection of an increase in the number of male cattle being kept entire and slaughtered earlier as bulls in 2010. The sharp year-on-year reduction in the steer kill has not been replicated in the heifer kill where the kill was down by six per cent in November 2010 compared to November 2009. Readers will note with interest that the calf kill is 28 times higher this November compared to last November.

This is not due to a substantial change in the market for calves, but represents a change on how these calves are categorised. It is likely that many of these veal calves would previously have been categorised as young bulls at slaughter. This puts a different complexion on the change in the number of young bull slaughterings this November, where numbers are one per cent lower compared to last November. However, when calves and young bulls are combined, numbers are up by about 10 per cent year on year. Cow slaughterings were two per cent higher than last year, further compensating for the decline in prime slaughterings.

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