EU cattle slaughter rises in 2024 – GAIN

High carcass prices, dim outlook pushes slaughter

Cattle slaughter in the European Union rose due to high carcass prices combined with a dim outlook, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report.

In the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s (USDA-FAS) semi-annual report, the contraction of the cattle herd was anticipated to slow down in 2024. In the annual report, this forecast is adjusted to an acceleration of the contraction based on elevated official slaughter during the first half of the year (+2.07%). 

Cattle slaughter rose most significantly in Poland, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Ireland. In these EU Member States, except for Poland, elevated slaughter is caused by relatively high prices for steer and cow carcasses in combination with an overall dim outlook for dairy and beef farming. 

Eurostat statistics report that EU cow slaughter increased by 4.93% during the first half of this year. In contrast, calf slaughter declined by 1.59% during the first half of this year, in line with the lower calf crop.