Significant rise in beef supplies
Autumn slaughterings are substantially higher than last year, with throughput for August showing an increase of 7% in bullocks, while heifer supplies were 8% higher than in August 2003.
In addition to the fact that herd numbers have been steadily increasing in the aftermath of foot and mouth, Bord Bia says there is also evidence that farmers are marketing cattle earlier than usual to benefit from higher prices, before the expected increase in supplies during the final months of the year as producers move stock to benefit from the slaughter premia before the ending of the scheme on December 31 2004.
Overall, supplies to the factories for the first eight months of the year are showing an increase of 1%. Supplies were very slow to take off during the early months of the year, before recording a sharp increase for March. Throughput for April were more in line with the normal pattern, but supplies for May were up 5% on the 2003 level. In June and July, supplies were down by 7% and 5%, respectively, on 2003, before the overall intake for August showed an increase of 8% - the largest monthly increase for the year.
Bullocks were 7% higher at 78,000 head.
Young bull supplies increased by 15% as throughput reached 34,000 head for the month and heifer supplies were 8% up.
The British Meat and Livestock Commission expect slaughterings for the final quarter of the year to be 50,000 head higher than last year, which is anticipated to result in a drop of 10% in the requirement for imported beef during the final quarter of the year.
