Cattle Kill Under Pressure in Northern Ireland
NORTHERN IRELAND, UK - In April, the Northern Irish (NI) cattle kill remained under pressure with the kill down two per cent on the same period last year, reports the Livestock and Meat Commission.
18 May 2012
2 minute read
However, there are
signs of supply starting to stabilise
with numbers of cattle presented for
slaughter having been significantly
lower over the last 12 months.
Meanwhile the NI sheep kill continues
to rise (year-on-year), reflecting
increased slaughterings generally in
Ireland as a whole and reduced
exports of live sheep to ROI for direct
slaughter.
Over the course of the year to date, the
prime cattle kill is down 12 per cent
compared to the same period last year.
The cull cow kill is three per cent lower.
Last month the prime cattle kill was
down three per cent compared to April
2011. With a stronger cull cow kill, the
overall cattle kill was down two per
cent on the year. This decline is
noteworthy for several reasons.
Firstly, in April last year, the kill was
significantly lower than previous years.
Indeed last April marked the start of
the current cycle of tighter supplies. A
further decline this year must be seen
in that context as it represents a
compounding of the decline last year.
Secondly, the rate of decline appears
to have slowed. In the first four
months of the year numbers were
back by about 12 per cent year-onyear.
The slower rate of decline in April
perhaps indicates that supplies may
be beginning to stabilise as would be
expected as we move through the year.
Last month the steer kill was three per
cent higher than in April 2011. The
young bull kill which has been in steep
decline for the last year was down by
eight per cent compared to last April.
It is notable that the heifer kill is down
by 9 per cent compared to last April
when almost 9,900 heifers were
slaughtered. In April 2010 over
11,700 heifers were slaughtered, so
last month’s kill was effectively down
by 23 per cent since April 2010. This
decline certainly reflects a reduction in
the number of cattle on the ground,
but it may also reflect increased
retentions of heifers for breeding. The
June Agricultural Census will give a
good indication of whether there has
been a further increase in the number
of beef cows / heifers-in-calf on the
ground in NI this spring.
This April the cow kill has been higher
than last April, driven mainly by an
increase in the beef cow kill compared
to last year. About 400 mature bulls
were slaughtered in April, down from
just over 500 last month.
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