British cattle supplies down

PRIME cattle supplies in Britain are down by 3% for the first half of 2007, a reduction of 29,000 head when compared to 2006, according to the latest returns from the British Meat and Livestock Commission.

There has been a 10% drop in the supply of young bulls for the January-June period and heifers dropped by 3%. The intake of bullocks at the factories remained steady over the first half year.

There has been a sharp increase in the number of cows being slaughtered — up 70% — equivalent to an additional 91,000 head. A big increase in cow numbers at the factories had been expected following the lifting of the OTM restriction in 2006, but for most of the year the intake lagged behind the predictions. However the reverse had been the outcome for 2007 to-date.