It’s been another tough start to the week in the beef trade, with factories dropping quotes by another 10c/kg this week.

Base prices are back at €6.80/kg for bullocks, while base prices for heifers are hovering around the €6.90/kg mark.

Breed bonuses are also under some pressure, with some agents trying to pay lower bonuses this week.

ADVERTISEMENT

Most Aberdeen Angus in-spec bullocks and heifers are still receiving a 20c/kg bonus, while Herefords are working off a 15c/kg bonus at the moment.

Cows

The cow trade has also been hit this week, with R grading cows being priced at €6.50/kg to €6.60/kg, down 10c to 20c/kg on prices quoted two weeks ago.

U grading cows are now being bought at €6.80/kg, back 10c/kg in the last seven days.

O grading cows are being bought for €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg. P+3 cows are coming in at €6.00/kg to €6.20/kg, with some factories quoting lower for very light cows.

Bulls

Bulls have probably held the best out of all categories of stock, with R grading bulls still coming in at €7.00/kg and U grading bulls at €7.10/kg.

O grading bulls are working off an all-in price of €6.80/kg to €6.90/kg, while P grading bulls are being quoted at €6.70/kg to €6.80/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

IFA livestock chair Declan Hanrahan said: “Demand for beef in our key export markets is strong and rising. The latest prime export benchmark price has continued to rise and now sits 17c/kg ahead of the prime Irish composite price.

"Cattle supplies are tight and are projected to fall by a further 4% or 30,000 to 40,000 head this year, leaving no additional cattle available to factories for slaughter. This trend is replicated across our key export markets where supplies are forecasted to be below 2025 levels.”