Beef Update
IFA Livestock Chair Declan Hanrahan said factories are struggling to source enough cattle to fill demand and are very concerned about supplies for the coming weeks and months despite talking down the trade. He said the price factories are willing to pay for cattle is evident in marts where store and finished cattle prices are frequently above what they are offering and well above the quotes thrown out this week by some outlets in an effort to dampen the trade. The IFA livestock chairman said supplies of cattle here will tighten further as the year progresses and factories will have to maintain strong beef prices to secure enough cattle to fill their lucrative contracts.
Beef Price Update 19/09/2025
Base Steer €7.20/7.40kg. Heifers €7.30/7.50kg. Higher deals for larger and specialist lots. Y Bulls R/U €7.50/7.70Kg. Cows €6.80/7.50kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 37 (14.09.2025)
| Animal | Number | Change prev wk | % of total | YTD | YTD Change |
| Y Bulls | 1,110 | ▲92 | 4% | 79,928 | ▼-1,049 |
| Bull | 431 | ▼-31 | 1% | 17,977 | ▼-3,616 |
| Steer | 13,505 | ▲273 | 47% | 437,554 | ▼-25,872 |
| Cow | 5,480 | ▲300 | 19% | 256,324 | ▼-48,412 |
| Heifer | 8,337 | ▲680 | 29% | 359,701 | ▲6,398 |
| Veal-V | 20 | ▲5 | 0% | 2,949 | ▼-17,108 |
| Veal-Z | 31 | ▲17 | 0% | 1,783 | ▲385 |
| Total | 28,914 | ▲1,336 | 100% | 1,156,216 | ▲3,665 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 37 (14.09.2025)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | U3 | Change prev wk | R3 | Change prev wk | O3 | Change prev wk | P+3 | Change prev wk |
| Steers | 781 | ▼-16 | 773 | ▼-16 | 761 | ▼-17 | 734 | ▼-11 |
| Heifers | 792 | ▼-10 | 778 | ▼-13 | 770 | ▼-15 | 729 | ▼-11 |
| Y Bulls | 776 | ▼-15 | 767 | ▼-9 | 754 | ▼-1 | 749 | ▲8 |
| Cows | 0 | ▲0 | 737 | ▼-10 | 707 | ▼-14 | 697 | ▼-12 |
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 |
| 06/09/2025 | 646.8 | 651.2 | 646.3 | 649.7 | 639.4 | 633.5 | 542.9 |
| 13/09/2025 | 647.8 | 651.5 | 645.4 | 648.6 | 637.9 | 639.3 | 540.6 |
| Change | ▲1 | ▲0 | ▲0 | ▼-1 | ▼-2 | ▲6 | ▼-2 |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 795.4 | 800.0 | 792.5 | 796.4 | 783.3 | 785.0 | 663.8 |
Euro Price for the Most Recent Week (€/KG Deadweight excl. VAT)
| Country & Type | 26.08.2025 | 31.08.2025 | 30.08.2025 |
| EU + Y Bulls | € 4.84 | € 5.13 | € 6.89 |
| IE + Steers | € 4.62 | € 5.05 | € 7.56 |
| UK + Steers | € 5.44 | € 5.87 | € 7.47 |
Live Cattle Exports 8th September
Sheep Update
IFA Sheep Chairman Adrian Gallagher said lamb prices remain firm but factories must stand firmer in the market place and return higher prices to sheep farmers. He said throughput for the most recent week was back 33% on the same week in 2024 reflecting the seriousness in decline of sheep available for processing on a weekly basis. He said farmers will be making breeding decisions in the coming weeks for the coming year and current returns for lambs paid by factories will be central to these decisions. Adrian Gallagher said factories must wake up as the future of the sector is determined by what they are willing to return to farmers.
Lamb Price Update 9/09/2025
Spring lambs €7.80/8.00kg. Weights to 22kg. Higher deals groups/larger lots. Ewes €4.40/5.20/kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 37 (14.09.2025)
| Animal | Figure | Change | YTD | YTD Change |
| Lambs/Hoggets | 276 | ▼-165 | 759,125 | ▼-137,503 |
| Spring Lambs | 32,295 | ▼-4,503 | 583,020 | ▼-145,064 |
| Ewes and Rams | 5,822 | ▲385 | 133,378 | ▼-59,431 |
| Light Lambs | 2 | ▲2 | 128 | ▲21 |
| TOTAL | 38,395 | ▼-4,281 | 1,475,651 | ▼-341,977 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 37 (14.09.2025)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | This week | Change prev. wk | 2024 | Change prev. yr |
| National Avg Price | 746.71 | ▼-1 | 712.7 | ▲34 |
| YTD Avg | 847.95 | ▼-3 | 782.92 | ▲55 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| R3L | Overall SQQ* | Type of lamb | |
| 06/09/2025 | 675.0 | 672.0 | New season Lamb |
| 13/09/2025 | 662.5 | 660.1 | New season Lamb |
| Change | ▼-13 | ▼-12 | |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 813.5 | 810.5 | 1 |
Live Sheep Exports 02/07/2025
