UK beef production down 4%

From January to October, production figures declined every month compared to the same period last year.

UK beef production in the first 10 months of 2021 was 742,000 tonnes, down 4% from last year, and there is no prospect of positive change for at least this year. The fall was observed every month, and this could be a short-term trend for the sector. The UK produced 74,500 tonnes of beef in October, according to Defra. This is 500 tons more than in September, but 6300 tons less than in October last year. Production throughout the year lagged behind 2020 levels.

“The effects of the terrible spring of 2018 have been felt throughout the year, delayed to some extent by the pandemic, which has bolstered demand for British livestock. To meet this demand, prime cattle have been sent to slaughter at an earlier age over the past 18 months,” said Duncan Wyatt, Lead Analyst at Red MEAT, AHDB.

Cattle slaughter in October was 159,700 heads, down 13,000 from a year ago, with decreases seen in bulls (-9%), heifers (-7%) and young bulls (-1%). Thus, the main slaughter for the year amounted to 1.64 million heads, which is 4% less than in 2020. Carcass weight dropped slightly to 341.3 kg in October and averaged 346.6 kg for the year.

“In October, 61,800 cows were slaughtered, which is 4,650 less than in October last year. With the prospect of a steady rise in feed costs during the winter cow keeping period, we can now expect an increase in cow slaughter. it has lagged behind 2020 levels since the summer. In the year to date, 519,300 cows have been slaughtered, down 6% from the same period a year ago,” Mr. Wyatt added.