The European Union (EU) saw a recovery in bovine slaughters in Q3 but might fare worse in Q4, according to the latest data reported by theSauerReport.
The latest data from the EU shows a recovery of bovine slaughter numbers in the third quarter of last year, jumping back from the lows of June, and peaking last October. October marked the third highest monthly head count covering the past four years, with the number of cattle culled across the EU bloc at 2.07 million head, up 9.5% from September and 4.3% year-on-year.
The year-to-date reports put the total for the first 10 months of 2024 at 18.61 million head of cattle, up 2.7% from the previous year, a good approximation for the growth expected for the whole of 2024.
The largest contribution to growth came from the “adult” bovines which, in Q3 2024, saw culling up 2.7% with the respect to Q2 and 4.3% vs the corresponding quarter of 2023. Over the 10-month period, the increase compared with 2023 was 3.9%.
By comparison, bovines not exceeding the year of age (veal calves) also saw a short-term rebound in the July-October period, but overall, there was a drop of around 1% with respect to 2023.
The first indications for the month of November, however, point to a decline in slaughter compared with October, with the larger EU players such as France and Ireland showing negative signs both with regards to the previous month and the corresponding month in 2023. The data for Q4 2024, when available, will shed more light.
In the breakdown by country, and with reference to Q3 2024, among the top producers Poland posted an eye-catching 24.2% increase in cattle slaughter compared with Q3 2023, with Ireland (up 4.3%), Italy (up 3.0%) and Spain (up 2.7%) also reporting growth. The results for the two largest producers, France and Germany, were both lower, up just 0.8% and 0.6%, respectively.
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