United States Department of Agriculture

Program Content

Poultry slaughter estimates provide USDA and the poultry industry with basic data to measure the flow of meat to the market, to analyze trends, and to project producer prices. Agricultural economists in both the public and private sectors use this information in economic analysis and research.

Uses

Poultry slaughter estimates provide USDA and the poultry industry with basic data to measure the flow of meat to the market, to analyze trends, and to project producer prices. Agricultural economists in both the public and private sectors use this information in economic analysis and research.

Frequency

Federally inspected data are summarized monthly immediately before the release. An annual summary is compiled in February.

Methods

The FSIS plant inspectors key enter inspection data using laptop computers and upload the data to a central location. FSIS electronically passes the inspection data to NASS. Data include the number of head slaughtered weekly under federal inspection by species and class, condemnations, and total live and dressed weights. The reports cover weekly activities through Saturday night with weekly reports allocated to the appropriate month. NASS runs all data through a computer edit to check for errors. Estimates are made for missing reports.

Poultry slaughter estimates are based on a census of slaughter plants, therefore, there is no sampling error associated with the report. However, some reporting errors or omission of data may occur with minimal effect because of the quality checks involved in creating this report.

Related Programs

Broiler Hatchery
Chickens and Eggs
Turkey Hatchery
Turkeys Raised
Poultry Production, Disposition, and Value