Beef kill: Irish factory cattle supply back by near 80,000 head or 14%
Latest beef kill figures show that the Irish factory cattle supplies have declined by almost 80,000 head to date this year.
As of Sunday, April 19, just over 490,000 head of cattle (excluding veal had been slaughtered at Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)-approved factories.
This years' beef kill-to-date is down by over 79,700 head from the over 570,000 cattle slaughtered this time last year.
The table below details weekly beef kill numbers in the week ending Sunday, April 19, versus the same week of last year and the cumulative beef kill-to-date this year versus the same week of last year:
| Animal Type | Week ending Sunday, April 19 | Equivalent Last Year | Cumulative 2026 | Cumulative 2025 | Cumulative difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Bulls | 1,391 | 1,511 | 39,639 | 39,343 | +296 |
| Bulls | 554 | 507 | 6,494 | 7,260 | -766 |
| Steers | 12,963 | 13,536 | 181,152 | 207,362 | -26,210 |
| Cows | 6,768 | 7,585 | 104,452 | 130,131 | -25,679 |
| Heifers | 9,741 | 10,740 | 159,614 | 186,964 | -27,350 |
| Total | 31,417 | 33,879 | 491,351 | 571,060 | -79,709 |
In January of this year, Bord Bia outlined the 2026 beef kill was expected to be broadly similar to the 2025 supply.
The 2025 Irish beef kill saw supplies drop by 213,000 head on the previous year.
According to Bord Bia, 1.59 million cattle were slaughtered in Ireland in 2025 and the 2026 supply forecast is for a beef kill of 1.56-1.6 million cattle.
2025 saw a strong first half of the year in regard to cattle supplies but numbers dropped off as the year progressed.
If the Bord Bia supply forecast materialises, the second half of 2026 could see supplies running above corresponding weeks of last year.
The weekly beef kill numbers have been more stable this year than last year, albeit at lower weekly kill numbers.
The graph below shows how weekly beef kill numbers have been trending compared to last year:
Factories are envisaging a lift in demand for beef over the summer months but it remains to be seen if this materialises and what impact, if any, this could have on beef price paid to farmers.
Click here to see the latest official factory price data on Agriland.
