Beef Update
IFA Livestock Chair Declan Hanrahan said factories need to take a longer-term view on beef prices and reverse the recent price cuts they are attempting. He said supplies of finished cattle are extremely tight with numbers, based on Bord Bia projections and the strong live export trade, expected to be down almost 100,000 cattle for processing between now and year end. Declan Hanrahan said beef production is also down in our key markets, the UK and the EU, and this supply demand balance must be utilised to benefit Irish and EU beef producers. Despite talking down the trade factories are very concerned about supplies for the coming weeks and months and are actively ringing around farmers in attempts to secure cattle for this period. The IFA Livestock Chair said the UK and EU markets are the most important outlets for our beef and the biggest threat to Irish beef farmers and long-term viable beef prices is trade deals that give access to these markets to cheaper beef. He said the UK are doing bilateral deals that gives more access for beef to their markets, the EU are in the process of trying to conclude the Mercosur trade deal with indications that discussions with Australia could be recommencing. Declan Hanrahan said any additional access for cheap beef to these markets would only serve to undermine our prices; it is vital our Government stand firm in rejecting any deals that provides more access to the Eu market for beef.
Beef Price Update 12/06/2025
Base Steer €7.30/7.50kg. Heifers €7.40/7.60kg. Higher deals and flat prices for larger and specialist lots. Y Bulls R/U €7.50/7.70Kg. Cows €6.50/7.40kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 23 (08.06.2025)
| Animal | Number | Change prev wk | % of total | YTD | YTD Change |
| Y Bulls | 2,769 | ▲374 | 10% | 53,542 | ▼-2,753 |
| Bull | 683 | ▲270 | 2% | 11,164 | ▼-841 |
| Steer | 10,252 | ▼-1,186 | 36% | 288,157 | ▲11,311 |
| Cow | 6,755 | ▲285 | 24% | 176,042 | ▼-13,741 |
| Heifer | 7,960 | ▼-469 | 28% | 251,932 | ▲23,912 |
| Veal-V | 88 | ▼-18 | 0% | 2,655 | ▼-16,248 |
| Veal-Z | 48 | ▲29 | 0% | 1,470 | ▲391 |
| Total | 28,555 | ▼-715 | 100% | 784,962 | ▲3,665 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 23 (08.06.2025)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | U3 | Change prev wk | R3 | Change prev wk | O3 | Change prev wk | P+3 | Change prev wk |
| Steers | 793 | ▼-6 | 786 | ▼-6 | 781 | ▼-7 | 743 | ▼-51 |
| Heifers | 805 | ▲0 | 793 | ▼-3 | 784 | ▼-6 | 736 | ▼-2 |
| Y Bulls | 785 | ▼-8 | 774 | ▼-7 | 758 | ▼-1 | 742 | ▼-4 |
| Cows | 0 | ▲0 | 735 | ▼-7 | 698 | ▼-5 | 682 | ▼-8 |
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 |
| 31/05/2025 | 673.7 | 678.8 | 668.8 | 676.6 | 661.5 | 661.8 | 554.0 |
| 07/06/2025 | 659.0 | 665.5 | 655.4 | 663.3 | 647.9 | 649.9 | 542.3 |
| Change | ▼-15 | ▼-13 | ▲4 | ▼-13 | ▼-14 | ▼-12 | ▼-12 |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 828.5 | 836.6 | 823.9 | 833.9 | 814.5 | 817.0 | 681.7 |
Euro Price for the Most Recent Week (€/KG Deadweight excl. VAT)
| Country & Type | 27.05.2023 | 01.06.2024 | 31.05.2025 |
| EU + Y Bulls | €4.96 | €5.07 | € 6.23 |
| IE + Steers | €5.22 | €5.13 | € 7.52 |
| UK + Steers | €5.70 | €5.66 | € 7.92 |
Live Cattle Exports 19th May
Sheep Update
IFA Sheep Chair Adrian Gallagher said sheep processing factories have to stand a lot stronger in the marketplace to return higher prices to sheep farmers. He said the sector lost a further 94,000 breeding ewes in the past year and we are now down at numbers not seen since 2014. Throughput in factories dropped by over 370,000 head in 2024 and is currently back over 160,000 on last year, this level of decline in sector output has serious consequences for servicing high end customers for our sheep meat. He said factories can and must do more on lamb, hogget and ewe prices, the current cuts are not acceptable and could do serious damage to the long-term viability of the sector, these must be reversed. Hesaid the trade in the UK for old season and new season lamb has improved over the past week with prices rising by almost 7 c/kg for hoggets and up to 37c/kg for lambs, prices in France remain strong and are well over €10/kg. He said sheep factories here must start reflecting this reality in prices offered to sheep farmers and reverse the recent cuts they have implemented. He said the sector is a critical stage and its long-term viability and sustainability is very much dependant on the willingness and capacity of factories to maximise returns to farmers. Adrian Gallagher said Bord Bia also have a key role to play in ensuring our product based on the standards implemented on our farms differentiated for customers in the UK and EU markets to push back on the impact cheaper southern hemisphere imports is having in these markets.
Lamb Price Update 12/06/2025
Hoggets €7.20kg/7.40kg. Spring lambs €8.80kg to €9.10kg. Higher deals groups/larger lots. Ewes €4.60/5.30/kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 23 (08.06.2025)
| Animal | Figure | Change | YTD | YTD Change |
| Lambs/Hoggets | 16,262 | ▲2,333 | 736,390 | ▼-127,082 |
| Spring Lambs | 30,340 | ▲6,344 | 117,808 | ▲3,089 |
| Ewes and Rams | 3,246 | ▼-518 | 71,720 | ▼-34,268 |
| Light Lambs | 8 | ▲1 | 99 | ▲17 |
| TOTAL | 49,856 | ▲8,160 | 926,017 | ▼-158,244 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 23 (08.06.2025)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | This week | Change prev. wk | 2024 | Change prev. yr |
| National Avg Price | 813.70 | ▼-7 | 860.08 | ▼-46 |
| YTD Avg | 870.36 | ▼-3 | 807.65 | ▲63 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| R3L | Overall SQQ* | Type of lamb | |
| 31/05/2025 | 713.7 | 716.8 | New season Lamb |
| 07/06/2025 | 748.1 | 748.3 | New season Lamb |
| Change | ▲34 | ▲32 | |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 918.6 | 918.8 | 1 |
Live Sheep Exports 2025
