The 2026 beef kill is running over 72,000 head of cattle below last year, according to latest figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

In the week ending Sunday, April 5 (week 14) just under 30,800 head of cattle (excluding veal) were slaughtered at DAFM-approved factories. In the same week of last year, 36,200 head of cattle were slaughtered.

Some factories opt not to kill cattle on Good Friday, which took place on Friday, April 3, this year, and may have impacted kill figures last week.

Despite this, most outlets have not been running at full capacity all year, with several factories only killing cattle four days of the week or less in cases.

The overall beef cattle supply forecast is expected to be down on the 2025 supply but weekly kill numbers this year have remained much more consistent than last year, albeit at a lower rate this year.

The graph below shows how weekly beef kill numbers have been trending compared to last year:

Beef prices paid to farmers have been in decline for the past six consecutive weeks but are now showing at least some signs of positivity.

The table below details weekly beef kill numbers in the week ending Sunday, April 5, versus the same week of last year and the cumulative beef kill-to-date this year versus the same week of last year:

Recent weeks have seen delays of up to three weeks in farmers getting cattle booked in processing but these are now showing signs of alleviating.

Some industry stakeholders have forecast supplies of factory-fit cattle could drop off into the summer months but it remains to be seen if this will materialise.