Analysis beef slaughter
Slaughter numbers up, weights down
The slaughter figures for cattle in December were considerably higher than last year. The slaughter weights are actually lower. How do the numbers move year on year?
Read this article?
Become a subscriber and get instant access
Choose the subscription that suits you
From week 49 to week 53, a total of just over 53.200 cattle were slaughtered. The largest number was on the slaughter hook in week 51, when 13.467 cattle were slaughtered. In weeks 52 and week 53 the number was significantly lower, at 7.935 and 5.844 animals respectively. The average weekly number over this period is 10.642.
When we compare figures with the 2019 results, it appears that the slaughter figures for that month are clearly higher this year. In 2019, 38.794 cattle were slaughtered in December. However, it should be noted that the year 2019 only had 52 weeks. The weekly average at that time was 9.699 units.
The number of slaughters was higher in December, but the average slaughter weight was considerably lower. In 2020, the average slaughter weight from week 49 to week 53 was 359,12 kilos, while in the same period of 2019 it was 375,24 kilos.
2020 under the microscope
When we compare the total figures for 2020 and 2019, the differences appear to be less significant. A total of 2020 cattle were slaughtered in 577.078: an average of 10.888 per week. In 2019, 525.680 cattle were on the slaughter hook, which amounts to an average of 10.109 per week. In 2020, the average slaughter weight was 362,12 kilos and in 2019 the cattle weighed slightly more, namely 363,9 kilos.