The average liveweight of cattle slaughtered was 1,155 pounds, up 10 pounds from 1999. The average liveweight of 253 pounds was up 2 pounds from 1999. A total of 1,400 sheep and lambs were processed in 2000, down from 1,500 a year earlier. Total liveweight, at 184,000 pounds, was 2 percent below 1999. The average liveweight of sheep and lambs slaughtered was up 7 pounds to 133 pounds.
Red meat includes beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton.
Red meat production in commercial plants totaled 46.2 billion pounds. Beef production , at 26.9 billion pounds, was up 1 percent from the previous record high set last year. Veal production totaled 225 million pounds, down 3 percent from the previous record low set last year. Pork production, at 19.0 billion pounds, was down almost 2 percent from the previous record high set last year. Lamb and mutton production totaled 236 million pounds, falling 4 percent below the previous record low set a year ago.