080308 2007 Red Meat Production Sets All Time Record

Total red meat production for the United States totaled 48.8 billion pounds in 2007, 2% higher than the previous year. Red meat includes beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton. Red meat production in commercial plants totaled 48.7 billion pounds. On-farm production totaled 135 million pounds.

Beef production totaled 26.5 billion pounds, up 1% from the previous year. Veal production totaled 146 million pounds, down 6% from last year. Pork production, at 22.0 billion pounds, was 4% above the previous year. Lamb and mutton production totaled 188 million pounds, down 1% from 2006.

Commercial cattle slaughter during 2007 totaled 34.3 million head, up percent from 2006, with federal inspection comprising 98.4% of the total. The average live weight was 1,269 pounds, down 2 pounds from a year ago. Steers comprised 51.3% of the total federally inspected cattle slaughter, heifers 30.3%, dairy cows 7.4%, other cows 9.4 %, and bulls 1.6%.

Commercial calf slaughter totaled 758,100 head, 7% higher than a year ago with 98.2% under federal inspection. The average live weight was 303 pounds, down 39 pounds from a year earlier.

Commercial hog slaughter totaled 109.2 million head, 4% higher than 2006 with 99.1% of the hogs slaughtered under federal inspection. The average live weight was unchanged from last year, at 269 pounds. Barrows and gilts comprised 96.5% of the total federally inspected hog slaughter.

Commercial sheep and lamb slaughter, at 2.69 million head, was down slightly from the previous year with 93.9% comprised by federal inspection. The average live weight was unchanged from 2006 at 136 pounds. Lambs and yearlings comprised 95.4% of the total federally inspected sheep slaughter.

There were 808 plants slaughtering under federal inspection on January 1, 2008 compared with 795 last year. Of these, 626 plants slaughtered at least one head of cattle during 2007 with the 14 largest plants slaughtering 54% of the total cattle killed. Hogs were slaughtered at 618 plants, with the 11 largest plants accounting for 51% of the total. Likewise, 6 of the 232 plants that slaughtered calves accounted for 63% of the total and 4 of the 480 plants that slaughtered sheep or lambs in 2007 comprised 68% of the total head.

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