Beef throughput for the final week of 2017 was 18,940 head, bringing total throughput for the year to 1.74m.

This is an increase of 105,490 on last year’s levels, with the 2017 kill the highest since 2003.

Steers and heifers were the main movers, rising by 54,104 to 681,137 head and 33,722 to 460,236 head respectively.

Cow throughput also increased 15,456 head (to 374,019) while the number of calves processed increased 3,519 to 5,930 head.

A sharp increase in young bulls in the last two months of 2017 underpinned a recovery in throughput, with the young bull kill finishing the year 224 head higher (195,972) than 2016.

The driver of throughput in 2017, is a continuous upward trend in dairy calf birth registrations combined with lower live exports in 2015. Dairy birth registrations increased 104,602 head in 2015 to reach 1.25m head while suckler births also recorded growth of 26,615 in the same year to break through the 1m head mark.

In the same year, live exports fell by 58,785 head to 178,048.

This stemmed from over 15,000 fewer calves, 10,000 fewer weanlings, 10,000 fewer finished cattle and a massive drop of over 20,000 store cattle being exported due to difficulties in processing southern-born cattle in northern processing plants.

Cattle being killed at a younger age is also a feature of the trade and is particularly evident in Angus and Hereford cattle bred from the dairy herd.

It should also be noted that while births are well up, the tonnage of beef produced is not rising in line, as average carcase weights reduced by about 5kg in 2017.

New era

The higher kill in 2017 is likely to become a feature of the beef trade, with a comparable or even higher kill possible in 2018.

Although suckler births reduced by over 100,000 head in 2016, much of this reduction was cancelled out by dairy births rising 60,333 head to reach 1.31m.

Live exports also fell by a further 32,611 head to 145,437 in 2016, which leaves more cattle in the 18-to-24 month age category in the system.

Exports have since recovered and were running 52,411 head above 2016 levels to the start of December 2017, with a total of 187,376 head leaving the country up to this point.

Dairy births also continue their upward surge, with the ICBF database showing 2017 births trending over 60,000 higher than the same period in 2016.

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