30 April 2010

2 minute read

North America

Total red meat production for the United States totaled 49.4 billion pounds in 2009, two per cent lower than the previous year. Red meat includes beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton. Red meat production in commercial plants totaled 49.3 billion pounds. On-farm slaughter totaled 139 million pounds.

Beef production totaled 26.1 billion pounds, down two per cent from the previous year. Veal production totaled 147 million pounds, down three per cent from last year.

Commercial cattle slaughter during 2009 totaled 33.3 million head, down three per cent from 2008, with federal inspection comprising 98.3 per cent of the total. The average live weight was 1,293 pounds, up 11 pounds from a year ago. Steers comprised 49.8 per cent of the total federally inspected cattle slaughter, heifers 29.7 per cent, dairy cows 8.6 per cent, other cows 10.1 per cent, and bulls 1.7 per cent.

Commercial calf slaughter totaled 944,200 head, one percent lower than a year ago with 98.5 per cent under federal inspection. The average live weight was 250 pounds, down seven pounds from a year earlier.

There were 834 plants slaughtering under federal inspection on January 1, 2010 compared with 818 last year. Of these, 633 plants slaughtered at least one head of cattle during 2009 with the 14 largest plants slaughtering 56 per cent of the total cattle killed. Hogs were slaughtered at 615 plants, with the 12 largest plants accounting for 55 per cent of the total. Likewise, 6 of the 276 plants that slaughtered calves accounted for 56 per cent of the total and 4 of the 504 plants that slaughtered sheep or lambs in 2009 comprised 67 per cent of the total head.

Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Texas accounted for 50 per cent of the United States commercial red meat production in 2009, similar to 2008.

Further Reading

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