While Irish and British farmers have taken a 40c/kg hit on cattle price over recent weeks, it has been the opposite picture in the British supermarkets, which are among the biggest customers for Irish beef.
Looking at prices for a sample of beef cuts collected weekly by the AHDB, the levy board in England, it shows the retail price is actually higher than a year ago.
It is particularly the case with the higher-value hind quarter steak and roasting cuts.
Fillet steak, the most expensive part of the carcase because there is such a small amount of fillet on the carcase, is 22p/kg more this year than in the same week in 2018.
Striploin steak, referred to as sirloin in the UK, is even more expensive this year at 31p/kg higher, while topside, which is mainly a roasting beef cut, is retailing at 27p/kg more this year than last year.
It is a similar picture with beef from the forequarter.
Over half the carcase is now sold as mince or manufacturing beef for burgers and, in the case of mince, the retail price is 22p/kg higher for premium (lean) mince and 4p/kg higher for standard mince in 2019 compared with the same week in 2018.
There are just a couple of examples where retail prices are lower this year, one being for rump steak, which is back 15p/kg, and stewing steak, which is back 17p/kg.
The average steer price in Britain was back 31p/kg on the price in the last week of June 2018.
Irish retail prices
Meanwhile, the Irish retail price of beef has fallen marginally year on year.
Figures from Kantar show that the retail price of beef fell from €9/kg to €8.96/kg in the 52 weeks to 16 June 2019 compared with the same time frame the year before.
The retail price of steaks was back 25c/kg to €14.12/kg, while mince is back 9c/kg to €6.51.
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While Irish and British farmers have taken a 40c/kg hit on cattle price over recent weeks, it has been the opposite picture in the British supermarkets, which are among the biggest customers for Irish beef.
Looking at prices for a sample of beef cuts collected weekly by the AHDB, the levy board in England, it shows the retail price is actually higher than a year ago.
It is particularly the case with the higher-value hind quarter steak and roasting cuts.
Fillet steak, the most expensive part of the carcase because there is such a small amount of fillet on the carcase, is 22p/kg more this year than in the same week in 2018.
Striploin steak, referred to as sirloin in the UK, is even more expensive this year at 31p/kg higher, while topside, which is mainly a roasting beef cut, is retailing at 27p/kg more this year than last year.
It is a similar picture with beef from the forequarter.
Over half the carcase is now sold as mince or manufacturing beef for burgers and, in the case of mince, the retail price is 22p/kg higher for premium (lean) mince and 4p/kg higher for standard mince in 2019 compared with the same week in 2018.
There are just a couple of examples where retail prices are lower this year, one being for rump steak, which is back 15p/kg, and stewing steak, which is back 17p/kg.
The average steer price in Britain was back 31p/kg on the price in the last week of June 2018.
Irish retail prices
Meanwhile, the Irish retail price of beef has fallen marginally year on year.
Figures from Kantar show that the retail price of beef fell from €9/kg to €8.96/kg in the 52 weeks to 16 June 2019 compared with the same time frame the year before.
The retail price of steaks was back 25c/kg to €14.12/kg, while mince is back 9c/kg to €6.51.
Read more
Watch: angry farmers join Beef Plan Movement protest at Dáil
Roscommon suckler herd contributes €180m to the economy
Factories hit a new low with young bull quotes of €3.55/kg
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