Looking at the prices for cattle reported to the EU for the week between 24 June and 30 June, it is clear that will they are weak across the EU, the market has stabilised on the continent but prices have continued to fall in Britain and Ireland.

In fact, for steers, the price gap with Britain was just 6c/kg during the last week of June, with the Irish R3 steer price at 370c/kg compared with the British price of 376/kg, while the R3 steer price in the North was 372c/kg.

Gap with Britain

Irish young bull prices for R3 grades were 358c/kg, just 1c/kg behind the British price for R3 young bulls at 359c/kg, whie, in the North, they were making 354c/kg.

The most striking of all was the heifer prices, where the R3 in Ireland was averaging 384c/kg compared with just 377c/kg in Britain and 375c/kg in the North.

This is the weakest the British price has been in relation to the Irish price for several years.

Ireland is also ahead of Britain on O3 cow price at 290c/kg, while they are making 284c/kg in Britain and 279c/kg in the North.

Prices holding better on the continent

While British prices have fallen close to or below Irish levels in recent weeks, there has been more stability on the continent.

There the average R3 young bull price is 352c/kg, the R3 heifer average is 371c/kg and the O3 cow average is 294c/kg - the only category where Ireland is below the EU average.

As always, the average price is made up of a wide range of prices and there is a big variance.

The best R3 young bull prices are to be found in Italy at 401c/kg and Sweden, just 1c/kg behind on 400c/kg.

Then there is quite a gap back to 371c/kg being paid in France for R3 young bulls, with a further gap to 352c/kg being paid in Spain and just 344c/kg being paid in Germany.

The Netherlands has the weakest R3 steer price of all the major markets in which Irish beef is sold.

Heifers and cows

Italian heifer prices are the strongest in the EU at 415c/kg for the R3 grade, while Sweden is on 400c/kg.

France, too, is strong on 395c/kg, but then there is quite a gap to Spain on 361c/kg and another gap to Germany where R3 heifers averaged 343c/kg.

Cow prices are more closely grouped across the EU.

The average is 294c/kg, 4c/kg better than the Irish price.

The best price for O3 cows on the continent is in Sweden at 366c/kg, almost as good as the Irish R3 steer price and 8c/kg better than the Irish R3 young bull price.

France is next on 326c/kg, then there is a gap to the Italian price of 296c/kg for the O3 cow.

German prices come in at 282c/kg, followed by the Netherlands at 274c/kg and then Spain on 247c/kg, all for O3 cows.