Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle were slaughtered in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years.
Answer
DEFRA collects data on the number of livestock slaughtered according to both England and Wales combined. These numbers are published on a monthly basis at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cattle-sheep-and-pig-slaughter
| Number
of
head: | |||
| Prime
cattle (calves, steers, heifers, young
bulls) | Cows
and adult
bulls | Total | |
| 2011 | 1,306,000 | 481,000 | 1,788,000 |
| 2012 | 1,214,000 | 472,000 | 1,686,000 |
| 2013 | 1,184,000 | 447,000 | 1,631,000 |
These include any UK prime cattle of all ages (calves, steers, heifers, young bulls) slaughtered as meat for human consumption in abattoirs in England and Wales.
Slaughter statistics are required by the EU under Regulation (EC) No 1165/2008.
DEFRA runs a monthly survey of registered England and Wales slaughterhouses. It is a statutory survey (of approximately 105 slaughterhouses) that collects information on livestock slaughter numbers and weight of meat produced.
All major slaughterhouses participate in the survey and the response rate is typically 100%. These data are supplemented by administrative data for smaller slaughterhouses.