Beef Update
IFA Livestock Chair Declan Hanrahan said demand for beef is strong in our key export markets in the lead into Christmas. He said extremely tight supplies of beef across the UK and EU are driving demand for the lucrative Christmas trade. Declan Hanrahan said despite gamesmanship from factories here in attempting to talk down prices, the reality is reduced supplies of beef cattle are leaving factories struggling to fill orders for key customers for the Christmas period. He said the Bord Bia-compiled Prime Export Benchmark Price has strengthened in recent weeks, driven by a strong and steady UK beef price and a rising EU beef price reflecting positive market conditions in our key export destinations. The IFA Livestock Chair said farmers with suitable cattle for processing should not be misled by unfounded negativity from factories and their agents. Global supplies of beef are critically low, and all projections are for strong beef prices which factories must reflect in the prices offered to farmers on the run into Christmas and beyond.
Beef Price Update 12/12/2025
Base Steer €7.20/7.40kg. Heifers €7.30/7.50kg. Higher deals for larger and specialist lots. Y Bulls R/U €7.30/7.50Kg. Cows €6.50/7.10kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 49 (07.12.2025)
| Animal | Number | Change prev wk | % of total | YTD | YTD Change |
| Y Bulls | 2,339 | ▲443 | 7% | 96,860 | ▼-3,089 |
| Bull | 306 | ▼-71 | 1% | 22,426 | ▼-4,760 |
| Steer | 11,506 | ▼-783 | 36% | 589,132 | ▼-64,945 |
| Cow | 7,587 | ▼-422 | 24% | 336,584 | ▼-85,389 |
| Heifer | 10,382 | ▲819 | 32% | 446,723 | ▼-45,622 |
| Veal-V | 13 | ▼-13 | 0% | 3,342 | ▼-17,411 |
| Veal-Z | 104 | ▲61 | 0% | 2,190 | ▲270 |
| Total | 32,237 | ▲34 | 100% | 1,517,257 | ▼-200,946 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 49 (07.12.2025)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | U3 | Change prev wk | R3 | Change prev wk | O3 | Change prev wk | P+3 | Change prev wk |
| Steers | 779 | ▼-3 | 770 | ▼-5 | 764 | ▼-2 | 732 | ▼-5 |
| Heifers | 790 | ▼-2 | 777 | ▼-4 | 771 | ▼-5 | 724 | ▼-8 |
| Y Bulls | 772 | ▼-5 | 762 | ▼-3 | 748 | ▼-3 | 746 | ▲1 |
| Cows | 0 | ▲0 | 718 | ▼-5 | 685 | ▼-7 | 667 | ▼-6 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| Steers | Steers | Heifers | Heifers | Y bull | Y bull | Cow | |
| p/kg | R3 | R4L | R3 | R4L | R3 | R4L | -O4L |
| 29/11/2025 | 669.3 | 672.3 | 668.6 | 671.1 | 656.8 | 654.8 | 543.6 |
| 06/12/2025 | 668.9 | 670.8 | 666.0 | 667.7 | 655.7 | 648.2 | 539.4 |
| Change | ▼-0 | ▼-2 | ▲0 | ▼-3 | ▼-1 | ▼-7 | ▼-4 |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 821.3 | 823.7 | 817.8 | 819.9 | 805.1 | 795.9 | 662.3 |
Euro Price for the Most Recent Week (€/KG Deadweight excl. VAT)
| Country & Type | 04.11.2025 | 09.11.2025 | 08.11.2025 |
| EU + Y Bulls | € 4.59 | € 5.21 | € 7.53 |
| IE + Steers | € 4.87 | € 5.44 | € 7.15 |
| UK + Steers | € 5.52 | € 6.22 | € 7.50 |
Live Cattle Exports 1st December
Sheep Update
IFA Sheep Chair Adrian Gallagher said the Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon must revisit the linear cut to the Sheep Welfare Scheme and secure the funding necessary to pay farmers in full the €13/ewe the scheme provided for. Adrian Gallagher said cutting the payment levels in the National exchequer sheep scheme is a retrograde step and sets a very dangerous precedent for the sector at a critical time. He said production from the sector has fallen by over 800,000 head in the past two years with generational renewal within the sector at crisis point. The IFA Sheep Chair said the Ministers own party in advance of the last general election committed to providing €30/ewe through national and CAP funding, but his first act has been to cut the level of supports by €1.50/head that sheep farmers will receive. Adrian Gallgaher said sheep farming is the second largest farm sector in the country, our most vulnerable sector and carried out in some of the most difficult terrain and land types that is farmed. The sector plays a pivotal role in the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the most rural parts of this country. The IFA Sheep Chair said it will cost just over €2m to pay all sheep farmers in the scheme in full, the Minister can and must find this funding to honour his and his government colleagues’ commitments to sheep farmers. He said sheep farmers entered the scheme in good faith, we have carried out the actions on our farms and incurred the costs, sheep farmers do not have the capacity or resources to be shortchanged by the Minister in this way.The decision to cut the payments must be reviewed and the funding provided to pay all farmers in full the €13/ewe they expected from the scheme when incurring the costs of participation.
Lamb Price Update 12/12/2025
Spring lambs €7.80/8.10kg. Weights to 23kg. Higher deals groups/larger lots. Ewes €4.40/5.00/kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 49 (07.12.2025)
| Animal | Figure | Change | YTD | YTD Change |
| Lambs/Hoggets | 46 | ▼-7 | 760,240 | ▼-141,872 |
| Spring Lambs | 35,251 | ▲654 | 994.498 | ▼-220,030 |
| Ewes and Rams | 3,498 | ▼-143 | 188,366 | ▼-70,597 |
| Light Lambs | 0 | ▲0 | 134 | ▲12 |
| TOTAL | 38,795 | ▲504 | 1,934,238 | ▼-441,487 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 49 (07.12.2025)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | This week | Change prev. wk | 2024 | Change prev. yr |
| National Avg Price | 755.54 | ▲2 | 813.78 | ▼-58 |
| YTD Avg | 847.95 | ▼-1 | 774.87 | ▲41 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| R3L | Overall SQQ* | Type of lamb | |
| 29/11/2025 | 709.1 | 710.4 | New season Lamb |
| 06/12/2025 | 713.1 | 713.5 | New season Lamb |
| Change | ▲4 | ▲3 | |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 875.6 | 876.1 | 1 |
Live Sheep Exports 2nd October 2025
