Bullock supplies slip further behind
Intake to mid-August is 9% lower than for the same period last year, resulting in a drop of over 43,000 head in the number of animals slaughtered at the export plants around the country. Up to early July the supply was back 8% on last year.
Supplies of heifers have also slipped further behind and were almost 10% back on 2004 at mid-August, which amounts to a drop of 23,000 head after an increase of 1% in the decline since early July.
There has been an increase of less than 1% in the supply of cows and the number of young bulls slaughtered is over 3% higher than last year. The total throughput at the factories is back by 6.5% to mid-August.
According to the CMMS figures, based on the number of one to two-year -olds on farms at the end of 2004, the number of male animals in the national herd was down 74,000. As these animals are regarded as the principal source of supply for the meat factories for the year, the projections suggested a drop of about 8% spread over the year.
With returns from slaughtering to mid-August showing a drop of 43,000 head, the CMMS data indicates that intake for the final four and a half months could be lower to the extent of over 30,000 head, compared to last year.
This represents an average of about 1,500 per week over the period, but the week-on-week returns are showing that the decline is front-loaded with factory intake of bullocks running at 3,500 head per week lower than last year.
A continuation of this trend should result in available supplies later in the autumn being closer to last year’s level.
