June 29, 2009

US poultry ready-to-cook weight down nine percent in May

US poultry ready-to-cook weight totalled 3.39 billion pounds in May, down nine percent on-year, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in their monthly Poultry Slaughter report.

The April 2009 revised certified total at 3.53 billion pounds, down seven percent from April 2008. The April figures also represent an increase of 2.77 million pounds from last month's preliminary pounds certified.

Preliminary total live weight of poultry inspected during May was 4.51 billion pounds, down 10 percent from 5.02 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totalled 3.87 billion pounds, down nine percent from a year ago.

Mature chickens inspected dropped 18 percent on-year to 65.1 million pounds, while turkey inspections fell 14 percent on the year to 564 million pounds. Ducks totalled 12.4 million pounds, down one percent from last year.

Young chickens slaughtered in May averaged 5.59 pounds per bird, down slightly from a year ago. The average live weight of mature chickens was 5.62 pounds per bird, down three percent on-year. Turkeys were 28.8 pounds per bird, down one percent.

Ante-mortem condemnations during May 2009 totalled 10.8 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.24 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.30 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 35.4 million pounds, were 1.03 percent of quantities inspected, as compared with 1.17 percent a year earlier.