WASHINGTON — Total commercial red meat production for the United States in July was down 4 percent from a year earlier, the US Department of Agriculture said in its latest Livestock Slaughter report.

July commercial red meat production was 3,793.4 million lbs, down 10 percent from June and down 4 percent from July 2010, the USDA said. January-July red meat production was 27,994.9 million lbs, up 1 percent from the same period of the previous year.


July beef production was 2,135.2 million lbs, down 10 percent from June and down 4 percent from July 2010. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.77 million head, down 5 percent from July 2010. The average live weight of cattle at slaughter was 1,272 lbs, down 1 lb from July 2010.

Pork production was 1,637.2 million lbs, down 10 percent from June and down 4 percent from July 2010. Commercial hog slaughter totaled 8.16 million head, down 4 percent from July 2010. The average live weight of slaughter hogs was 268 lbs, down 1 lb from the previous year.

Veal production of 10.1 million lbs was down 8 percent from the previous year and record low for the month of July.