Average beef carcass weights saw an increase in 2025 after having been in decline since 2020.

From 2020 to 2024, the average steer carcass weight fell from 360-340kg before recording a 7kg rise in 2025 to 347kg.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) data was presented by Bord Bia's Joe Burke at the recent Bord Bia Meat Marketing Seminar.

Bord Bia beef sector manager Mark Zieg also presented data on the average carcass weights by category for 2025 at the conference.

The table below details the average carcass weight by category for 2024 and 2025:

Zieg noted that carcass weights were trending below 2023 and 2024 at the start of 2025 but improved in the second half of the year.

More specifically, he pointed out that the average steer carcass weight in December 2024 was 334kg versus 355kg in December 2025, marking a 21kg rise.

The graph below details the monthly steer carcass weight from January to December of 2025:

Bord Bia also highlighted the potential for further recovery in average carcass weights and presented data as far back as 2015.

The table below shows the average carcass weight of Irish steers and heifers from 2015 to 2025:

As the table above indicates, carcass weights over the past decade peaked in 2020 at 360kg for steers and 318kg for heifers.

No recovery in factory cattle supply expected this year

The 2026 factory cattle supply is forecast to remain at a similar level as 2025, which saw supplies drop by 213,000 head on the previous year, according to Bord Bia.

Ziegs' presentation at the Bord Bia Meat Marketing Seminar also highlighted that 1.59 million cattle were slaughtered in Ireland in 2025.

This figure is back 213,000 head on the number of cattle slaughtered in 2024.

The forecasted kill for 2026 is expected to be at 1.56-1.6 million head, which is similar to the 2025 supply.