Dairy Cattle Dominate GB Slaughter

Dairy Herd Dominates Cattle Slaughter in Great Britain

Key Points

• Over half of all cattle and calves slaughtered in Great Britain in 2024 were born to the dairy herd.
• The proportion of prime cattle supply made up of dairy beef continues to grow, reaching 37% in 2024.
• BCMS data shows that 2.3 million head of cattle and calves were slaughtered in Great Britain in 2024, including animals of all ages, types, and sexes. Of this total, 52% were born to the dairy herd, while the remainder were suckler-born.

Prime Cattle Supply

In 2024, 1.5 million cattle aged 12-30 months were slaughtered in Great Britain. Suckler-bred cattle made up the largest proportion of prime cattle supply, accounting for 56%. However, the proportion of suckler-bred cattle in slaughter totals has steadily declined over the last ten years, in line with the long-term decline in the population of the Great Britain cattle herd.

Dairy beef continued to grow its share of prime cattle supply, accounting for 37% of cattle slaughtered aged 12-30 months in 2024. This trend counteracts declines in both suckler beef and dairy bull calves.

Key Breeds

Aberdeen Angus X cattle made up the greatest proportion of total Great Britain slaughter for the second consecutive year in 2024. Of these, 57% were dairy beef, with the remainder suckler-born.

Limousin X cattle were the second highest proportion of Great Britain slaughter, with 80% of these cattle suckler-bred. In contrast, 84% of British Blue X cattle slaughtered in 2024 were dairy beef animals.

Original story: AHDB