UK beef production in June boosted by higher slaughter
Friday, 17 July 2020
The latest Defra statistics show that UK beef and veal production in June totalled 80,100 tonnes, up 11% on 2019. This was due to a rise in slaughter of both prime cattle and cows, as carcase weights remained largely steady year-on-year. Prime cattle slaughter stood at 175,500 head, up 11% (16,800 head) year-on-year, while cow slaughter was up 19% at 57,900 head (+9,200 head).*
There were two extra weekdays in June 2020 compared to last year, which may have contributed to some of the rise. Stronger prices for cattle during June also likely drew more supplies forward.
Despite the rise in slaughter in June, beef production for Q2 is down 2% on the year at 217,700 tonnes, due to production falls in both April and May.
*Defra have noted that the survey response in their latest rele ase was lower than usual due to the disruption caused by COVID-19. To compensate they have made greater use of Food Standards Agency throughput data. This may affect how animal numbers are split between classifications, for example the number of animals split into prime and adult cattle.
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