The NI cattle kill has finished 2024 at record levels, with factory throughput up 6.9% year- on-year.
While DAERA is yet to finalise slaughter data for the final few days of the year, the annual kill to the week ending 21 December 2024 of 510,937 head has already surpassed the previous high set in 2022 of 505,895.
Prime cattle
Higher annual throughput in 2024 is primarily down to a surge in the number of prime heifers slaughtered at local plants.
The heifer kill is up 12.4% year-on-year, with 160,240 slaughtered to 21 December 2024, which is over 16,000 head more than across all of 2023.
Factories also processed more steers in 2024. To 21 December a total of 178,362 animals have been slaughtered, which is over 8,000 more than in 2023.
Young bulls are marginally ahead of 2023 and set to finish the year around 42,000 head.
Cows
The total cow kill is also set to end the year at a record high, with slaughter numbers up 2.8% year-on-year, which equates to around 3,500 head.
To 21 December 2024, just shy of 118,000 cows have been slaughtered at local factories.
Sheep
In contrast to the cattle kill, slaughter figures for sheep show a 10% decline in factory throughput year-on-year, with the final lamb and hogget kill expected to total just over 425,000 head.