As much as €275/head difference between top and bottom paying factory in 2024

The Irish Farmers Journal factory price leagues for 2024 show a wide range of prices being paid for the same grade of cattle between the 29 beef factories that report prices on a weekly basis.

The average amount paid in cents per kilo over the 51 weeks for which cattle prices were reported to DAFM and published in the Irish Farmers Journal are listed in the tables below.

The average for the year, calculated across the number of weeks each factory reported a specific grade in 2024, is listed in the tables below, with the average calculated across the number of weeks each factory reported a specific grade.

In order to produce an overall picture reflecting the Irish cattle kill, four grades of steers, heifers, young bulls and cows are selected; these are U=3=, R=3=, O=3= and P+3=, giving a total of 16 categories.

The factories paying the highest cent per kilo for each grade are listed at the top of each table and continue with the next highest right down to the lowest at the bottom of each table.

If a factory hasn’t reported any cattle in a category over the year, they are excluded from the final table.

These figures are the statistical average and include all cattle reported. This means that the numbers will reflect influences like premiums paid for organic or grade bonuses paid for Aberdeen Angus or Hereford, by way of example.

This means that factories like Jennings will feature prominently at the top of the table for steers and heifers given the number of Aberdeen Angus cattle it processes.

Similarly, Foyle Donegal has a modified payment grid that pays extra for cattle in a relatively narrow weight range.

Normal range

A further point to note is that prices paid may be outside a normal range at either the top or bottom end of the table if they have only killed a few cattle in a particular category over the course of the year.

This is probably best illustrated by the U=3= cow grade; only five factories reported prices for this grade in 10 weeks or more in 2024, with 12 factories reporting for just two weeks or less in 2024.

The results

The price paid in cents per kilo by each factory is listed in the tables.

The price spread per head section (see panel below) shows how much this works out at based on the average slaughter weight for each category of animal in 2024.

The biggest price spread between factories is found in the U=3= cow grade where converting the difference reported between the highest and lowest paying factories converts to €247 per head at the average slaughter weight.

However, the note of caution has to be repeated. Twelve factories reported on two weeks or less for the U=3= cow grade and the most weeks reported by a factory for the grade was 48 with the next highest 28 weeks for the U=3= cow grade.

Price spread

There are very few U=3= cows going through factories and a big price spread isn’t surprising. At the other extreme, the R=3= grade steer is one that virtually all factories handle on a weekly basis and is a good barometer of the range of prices paid.

In this category, when the difference between the top and bottom paying factories for this grade in 2024 is applied to the average steer slaughter weight of 341kg, we get a difference of just under €120 per head.

All factories that price reported the previous year continued doing so in 2024. Kavanaghs of Enniscorthy – which has the same owners as the Traditional Meat Company, began reporting during 2023 and is included for the first time, as 2024 was its first full year of price reporting.

All factories that kill over 20,000 cattle are required by legislation to report the prices paid for cattle on a weekly basis. These are published each week in the Business of Farming pages of the Irish Farmers Journal and the annual factory leagues are compiled by calculating the average paid across the year.

Newcomers to the leagues, Kavanaghs announced its arrival by picking up two third place finishes, secured for R=3= cows and O=3= cows, while the Traditional Meat Company picked up five podium places with two top positions, two seconds and one third placed finish.

Jennings is consistently a strong performer and secured six top-placed finishes across steers and heifers, which it works with exclusively, opting not to kill young bulls or cows.

However the factory that dominates for 2024 is Foyles Donegal factory with four top positions, four seconds and a third place finish, achieved across a mix of cattle and giving them nine overall.

Its neighbours in Donegal, C&J Meats picked up a second and third place finish, while Eurofarm had a first place.

Liffey and Ashbourne each had a third place finish. The remaining top positions were filled by ABP, Dawn Meats and Kepak groups.

Group performance

Each year the Irish Farmers Journal analyses the combined performance of the three largest factory groups across each category.

For steers, ABP comes out top for U=3= just ahead of Kepak, followed by Dawn.

Grouping all of the other factories together as independents, they are the top payers for plainer P+3= steers while Kepak and ABP are tied top for R=3= steers and Kepak are slightly ahead on O=3= steers.

ABP is strongest across three categories of heifer grades while Kepak is top in three categories of young bulls. The independent factories lead in three categories of cows, with Dawn coming second for U=3= and R=3= grades.

The breakdown for each category for the groups and independents can be found in the graphs at the top of each individual table.

With the information in the factory leagues influenced by different bonuses, the numbers may not tell the full picture on what each factory is paying for specific cattle. As always, the best policy for any farmer with cattle to sell is to ring round and get a few quotes for stock.

On steers and heifers, the fact that they kill so many Aberdeen Angus heavily influences the prices paid by Jennings. Foyle Donegal is also paying extra money, but for a narrower weight specification. For farmers with cattle that meet this specification this is worthwhile, but if in doubt about the weight of your stock, it is important to know what they pay for it. All of the main groups tend to be strong for in-spec steers and heifers, as they all have significant supply business with the large UK supermarkets. They were particularly hungry for cattle in the latter part of 2024.

Quality assurance

However, quality assurance is an absolute must to be eligible for this supply chain. If cattle aren’t quality assured, it is often better to look outside the main groups to the independents, even if they are in the lower part of the league tables.

The independent factories outside the main groups usually are most prominent when it comes to cows. Among these, C&J Meats, the Traditional Meat Company and Kavanaghs have caught the eye this year, making it into the medal tables. Also it is not unusual for the factories in the groups to prioritise cow slaughter at one location more than others.

Foyle is the ‘champion of champions’ when it comes to medals for 2024, with four golds, four silvers

and a bronze. Jennings put in the usual strong performance, with six table-

topping positions for steers and heifers. The Traditional Meat Company and Kavanaghs combined have seven top three places between them.

The factory leagues have been published weekly in the Irish Farmers Journal for over 20 years and are always a good starting point for any farmer looking to sell finished cattle.

However, they should only be used as a starting point for negotiation, particularly when the trade is as strong as it has been recently.

It is important to be clear on what specification has to be met in order to get the best price, being conscious that the best price may be at a less obvious factory, particularly if the cattle are out of spec.

Insight

When used as a guide, the factory leagues are an invaluable insight as to what is being paid at individual factories for cattle.

It is rare in the industry for specific factory data to be available to farmers. Virtually all other data on prices that is published is aggregated to provide an average factory price for the industry.

This includes work that is ongoing by the Agri-Food Regulator and while any additional insight is to be welcomed, it won’t come close to the data that is currently available on a weekly basis for what each individual factory has paid for cattle.