Beef kill: Weekly supplies move above same week of last year
Latest beef kill figures show the number of cattle slaughtered in the week ending Sunday, May 10, surpassed the same week of last year.
Until last week, 2026 weekly kill numbers had been trending below corresponding weeks of 2025.
Weekly kill numbers were relatively strong in the first half of 2025 before dropping off significantly in the second half of the year.
In 2026, supply forecasts would suggest the weekly kill numbers will remain more steady into the second half of the year.
The table below details weekly beef kill numbers in the week ending Sunday, May 10, versus the same week of last year and the cumulative beef kill-to-date this year versus the same week of last year:
| Category | Week ending Sun, May 10 | Equivalent Last year | Cumulative 2026 | Cumulative 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Bulls | 1,679 | 1,654 | 44,212 | 44,377 |
| Bulls | 567 | 633 | 8,206 | 8,988 |
| Steers | 12,972 | 11,483 | 218,803 | 244,294 |
| Cows | 5,518 | 6,116 | 122,674 | 151,127 |
| Heifers | 9,415 | 9,820 | 188,571 | 217,407 |
| Total | 30,151 | 29,706 | 582,466 | 666,193 |
The cumulative kill-to-date this year is now almost 84,000 head below last year.
Despite this, this supply shortfall on last year is expected to narrow as the second half of 2026 progresses with week-on-week supply numbers expected to continue ahead of last year from now onwards.
The graph below shows how weekly beef kill numbers have been trending compared to last year:
As can be seen in the area highlighted in red in the graph above, weekly cattle supply numbers last week surpassed the same week of last year.
While supply numbers are back to date this year, carcass weights have increased for the first quarter of this year versus last year.
Average steer carcass weights increased by over 24kg from January to March of 2026 when compared to the same time period of 2025.
The average heifer carcass weight increased by almost 17kg in the same time period while average young bull carcass weights increased by 14kg and cow carcass weights increased by 11kg.
