Registrations of beef calves in the UK totalled 1.94 million head in 2023, which is back 1.1% on year, according to the Agriculture Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
The figure includes all calves registered as ‘non-dairy’ on the British Cattle Movement Service, out of both suckler and dairy dams.
According to the levy board, beef calf registrations in the first quarter of 2024 have been down 2.3% on the previous year to stand at 513,000 head.
Beef calves out of the diary head continue to make a significant contribution to the total number of registrations, particularly for Aberdeen-Angus cross and British Blue cross calves.
Registrations for first quarter of 2024 back 2.3%
From the data, year-on-year increases in registrations of Aberdeen-Angus cross and Aberdeen-Angus calves continue to grow by 3.3% and 0.4% respectively, from 2022 to 2023.
The AHDB says while this increase is largely driven by the increased use of beef sires in the dairy herd, there has also been steady growth in registrations of Aberdeen-Angus and Aberdeen-Angus cross calves from suckler dams over the same period.
Registrations of continental breeds were down in 2023 compared to the previous year, contributing to the overall fall in registrations of beef calves.
The greatest change was seen in Limousin crosses, with calf registrations down 8.3% in 2023, compared to the previous year.
Significant declines were also noted for Charolais cross calves, down 4.7% year-on-year, and Simmental crosses, down 8.1% year-on-year.
In contrast, Wagyu and Wagyu cross registrations in 2023 totalled 35,600 head, which is a rise of 108% on 2022.
In a similar story to the growth in Aberdeen-Angus/Aberdeen-Angus cross calves, the dairy herd is the largest contributor of this growth.
However, suckler registrations have also increased.
Wagyu and Wagyu cross registrations totalled 35,600 head
This growth has been fostered by the introduction of schemes incentivising Wagyu cross calves.
AHDB analysis recently showed that just over half of the cattle slaughtered for beef in the UK currently come from the dairy herd, and the registrations data demonstrates that dairy beef will continue to contribute significantly to the GB beef supply pipeline.
Looking at registrations of different breeds by dam, AHDB can see that for the most popular breed of beef calf – Aberdeen Angus cross – 61% of these calves came out of the dairy herd in 2023.
Over half of the cattle slaughtered for beef in the UK came from the dairy herd
Similarly, the majority of British Blue cross calf registrations came out of dairy dams, at 85%.
In contrast, the suckler herd remains the main contributor of Limousin cross and Charolais cross calves, producing 80% and 91%, respectively of these breed registrations.
