Beef Update
Speaking at the IFA Beef meeting in Portlaoise tonight attended by over 300 people, IFA President Tim Cullinan said that the farmers were being short-changed by €6m a week based on the Bord Bia beef price tracker. “The Bord Bia tracker has brought more transparency to beef price and we can now see that Irish prices are at least 50c behind the export benchmark price. This is costing beef farmers at least €6m a week,” he said. “This is totally unacceptable and it’s an appalling way for processors to be treating their customers,” he said.
“We need the office of Fairness and Transparency in the Food Supply Chain to be established as a matter of urgency, and it must have real teeth,” he said. IFA Livestock Chairman Brendan Golden outlined his frustration with the widening gap between Irish beef prices and UK/European prices which is estimated to be at its highest level since 2010. “It is clear that our processors are not paying the price the market justifies and further eroding beef farmers’ incomes,” he said. “This comes on top of a CAP reform which hit beef farmers very severely,” he said.
Beef Price Update 24/11/2022
Paid prices up 10/15c/kg. Base Quotes Steer €4.65/4.85kg. Heifers €4.70/4.90kg. Higher deals and flat prices for larger and specialist lots. Y Bulls R/U €4.70/5.00Kg. Cows €4.00/4.60kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 46 (20.11.2022)
| Animal | Number | Change prev wk | % of total | YTD | YTD Change |
| Y Bulls | 2,458 | ▲146 | 6% | 116,595 | ▲5,149 |
| Bull | 584 | ▲106 | 2% | 25,585 | ▲1,511 |
| Steer | 13,787 | ▼-1,647 | 36% | 647,317 | ▲36,680 |
| Cow | 10,793 | ▲66 | 28% | 358,335 | ▲48,941 |
| Heifer | 10,841 | ▼-104 | 28% | 448,714 | ▲22,832 |
| Veal-V | 48 | ▲43 | 0% | 28,320 | ▲7,388 |
| Veal-Z | 28 | ▲1 | 0% | 1,485 | ▲39 |
| Total | 38,539 | ▼-1,389 | 100% | 1,626,351 | ▲122,540 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 46 (20.11.2022)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | U3 | Change prev wk | R3 | Changeprev wk | O3 | Change prev wk | P+3 | Change prev wk |
| Steers | 494 | ▲6 | 484 | ▲7 | 469 | ▲9 | 436 | ▲7 |
| Heifers | 504 | ▲6 | 489 | ▲5 | 479 | ▲5 | 428 | ▲1 |
| Y Bulls | 484 | ▲3 | 473 | ▲7 | 454 | ▲2 | 441 | ▼-1 |
| Cows | 0 | ▲0 | 441 | ▲4 | 414 | ▲4 | 394 | ▲3 |
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 |
| 12/11/2022 | 452.4 | 456.2 | 450.4 | 454.4 | 440.7 | 439.5 | 357.3 |
| 19/11/2022 | 452.0 | 455.2 | 443.5 | 450.7 | 453.7 | 440.5 | 442.3 |
| Change | ▼-0 | ▼-1 | ▲0 | ▼-1 | ▲2 | ▲1 | ▼-4 |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 555.0 | 558.9 | 553.4 | 557.1 | 543.1 | 540.5 | 433.9 |
Euro Price for the Most Recent Week (€/KG Deadweight excl. VAT)
| Country & Type | 14/11/2020 | 13/11/2021 | 12/11/2022 |
| EU + Y Bulls | € 3.52 | € 4.30 | Not Available |
| IE + Steers | € 3.60 | € 4.15 | € 4.52 |
| UK + Steers | € 4.20 | € 4.83 | € 5.11 |
Live Exports W/C 14.11.2022
Sheep Update
IFA Sheep Chairman Kevin Comiskey has called on Ministers McConalogue and Hackett to establish the industry-led Wool Council as a matter of urgency, which was recommended by the Wool Feasibility Study. In its feasibility report published in July, the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine committed €30,000 to help establish a Wool Council. However, this has yet to be taken further. Kevin Comiskey said the only real recommendation contained in the report is the establishment of the Wool Council, which would develop and promote Irish wool domestically and internationally, bringing together stakeholders to foster collaboration, innovation and scaling activities. The IFA Sheep Chairman said he has witnessed first-hand the benefits of a co-ordinated approach to developing and promoting markets and outlets for wool when he visited British Wool in September. “British Wool’s co-ordinated approach has greatly benefited its farmer members and British wool typically trades well above Irish prices, helped by the structures in place,” he said. He said there are huge opportunities to develop a unique brand for Irish Wool and most importantly add value to this renewable product for sheep farmers.
Lamb Price Update 24/11/2022
Prices rising Lamb €6.50/6.80/kg. Deals to €7.00kg and to 23kgs. Higher deals groups/larger lots. Ewes €3.00/3.60/kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 46 (20.11.2022)
| Animal | Figure | Change | YTD | YTD Change |
| Lambs/Hoggets | 653 | ▲186 | 904,246 | ▲206,345 |
| Spring Lambs | 48,176 | ▼-5,343 | 1,331,097 | ▼-66,995 |
| Ewes and Rams | 8,939 | ▼-488 | 347,824 | ▲26,082 |
| Light Lambs | 0 | ▼-2 | 141 | ▲12 |
| TOTAL | 57,768 | ▼-5,647 | 2,583,308 | ▲165,444 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 46 (20.11.2022)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | WK 46 | Change prev wk | 2021 | Change prev yr |
| National Avg Price | 626.17 | ▲8 | 709.55 | ▼-83 |
| YTD Avg | 683.32 | ▼-1 | 659.54 | ▲24 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| R3L | Overall SQQ* | Type of lamb | |
| 12/11/2022 | 537.5 | 534.5 | New season |
| 19/11/2022 | 551.5 | 547.2 | New season |
| Change | ▲14 | ▲13 | |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 677.2 | 671.9 |
Live Sheep Exports 18/07/2022
