November saw the highest levels of beef production in the UK so far this year, according to new analysis published by the AHDB.
The UK produced 84,100 tonnes of beef and veal in November, up 3.1% (2,500 tonnes) on October, and 6.1% (4,800 tonnes) on the same month last year.
Prime cattle slaughter stood at 177,600 head, a rise of 2.6% (4,600 head) on last month, and 5.2% (8,800 head) on last year.
Average carcase weights eased slightly for the fifth month in a row, averaging 340.7kg, the levy organisation explained in its analysis.
This was 1.6kg (0.5%) lighter than averages seen in November last year, and 200g (less than 0.1%) back on October weights.
Cow slaughter stood at 74,100 head: the highest level for monthly cow throughputs since November 2016.
When compared with October, there was an increase of 5.1% (3,600 head), as well as an increase of 11.4% (7,600 head) on November last year.
Charlotte Forkes-Rees, AHDB analyst said: "Throughput typically increases during October-November, supported by pre-Christmas kill and producers looking to ease pressure on feed stocks as cattle are housed for winter.
"However, the higher kill rate this year may well be explained by a few factors; historically high cow prices offering attractive returns, high input costs pressuring margins and regional forage pressures."
Between January-November 2022, UK beef production has totalled an estimated 831,500 tonnes, up 1.4% compared with the same period last year.
Prime cattle slaughter rose by 0.9% to 1.82 million head, and cow slaughter totalled 612,900 head, up 4.8% on the previous year.
