Beef Update
IFA Livestock Chairman Declan Hanrahan said further cuts to beef price is reckless and must stop immediately. He said the prime export benchmark price is currently 26c/kg above the prime Irish composite price and factories must do more to close this gap. Factories need to urgently reassess their pricing structures to avoid causing serious lasting damage to the sector he said.
Beef finishers cannot tolerate any further price cuts which is putting further pressure on producers who already operate on very low margins. Declan Hanrahan said farmers should strongly push back on factories attempts to lower beef prices.
Beef Price Update 28/05/2026
Base Steer €6.30/6.40kg. Heifers €6.40/6.50kg. Higher deals for larger and specialist lots. Y Bulls R/U €6.60/6.80Kg. Cows €5.80/6.50kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 21 (24.05.2026)
| Animal | Number | Change prev wk | % of total | YTD | YTD Change |
| Y Bulls | 2,221 | ▲235 | 7% | 48,420 | ▲42 |
| Bull | 662 | ▼-43 | 2% | 9,559 | ▼-509 |
| Steer | 12,060 | ▼-799 | 38% | 243,738 | ▼-22,729 |
| Cow | 6,797 | ▲764 | 22% | 135,452 | ▼-27,365 |
| Heifer | 9,640 | ▼-26 | 31% | 207,930 | ▼-27,613 |
| Veal-V | 21 | ▼-89 | 0% | 618 | ▼-1,843 |
| Veal-Z | 19 | ▲0 | 0% | 1,909 | ▲506 |
| Total | 31,420 | ▲42 | 100% | 647,626 | ▼-79,511 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 21 (24.05.2026)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | U3 | Change prev wk | R3 | Change prev wk | O3 | Change prev wk | P+3 | Change prev wk |
| Steers | 691 | ▼-11 | 682 | ▼-9 | 671 | ▼-9 | 639 | ▼-6 |
| Heifers | 701 | ▼-14 | 689 | ▼-9 | 679 | ▼-10 | 632 | ▼-12 |
| Y Bulls | 686 | ▼-16 | 668 | ▼-17 | 660 | ▼-6 | 651 | ▲8 |
| Cows | 0 | ▲0 | 634 | ▼-15 | 609 | ▼-10 | 598 | ▼-7 |
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 |
| 16/05/2026 | 609.3 | 613.6 | 609.6 | 611.8 | 590.7 | 592.1 | 514.5 |
| 23/05/2026 | 602.6 | 602.7 | 600.1 | 606.8 | 584.1 | 581.1 | 509.8 |
| Change | ▼-7 | ▼-11 | ▲0 | ▼-5 | ▼-7 | ▼-11 | ▼-5 |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 739.9 | 740.1 | 736.9 | 745.1 | 717.2 | 713.5 | 626.0 |
Euro Price for the Most Recent Week (€/KG Deadweight excl. VAT)
| Country & Type | 18.05.2024 | 17.05.2025 | 16.05.2026 |
| EU + Y Bulls R3 | € 5.02 | € 6.58 | €6.64 |
| IE + Steers R3 | € 5.16 | € 7.56 | € 6.62 |
| UK + Steers R3 | € 5.70 | € 8.13 | €6.96 |
Sheep Update
IFA Sheep Chairman Adrian Gallagher said tight supplies and strong demand for sheep meat are driving the trade in our key export markets. He said lamb prices in the UK and France are trading at €10.50kg and above and factories must ensure prices keep pace with these key markets we are selling into. Factories are still very reliant on hogget throughput as the spring lamb kill remains ordinary low.
The latest weekly kill of spring lamb was back almost 3,000 head on the corresponding date in 2025. Factories are offering deals on hoggets from €9.20kg to €9.50kg on weights to 23kg. Spring lambs are trading from €9.90kg to €10.20kg on weights to 21kg. Cull ewe prices are ranging from €5.30kg to €5.50kg in general. Adrian Gallagher said it’s a critical time of the year and its important factories maintain strong viable prices to reflect production costs on farms and to maintain confidence in the sector.
Lamb Price Update 27/05/2026
Hoggets €9.20/9.50kg. Weights to 23kg. Spring Lamb €9.90/10.20kg. Weights to 21kg. Higher deals groups/larger lots. Ewes €5.30/5.50/kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 21 (24.05.2026)
| Animal | Figure | Change | YTD | YTD Change |
| Lambs/Hoggets | 24079 | ▲5,141 | 654669 | ▼-51,530 |
| Spring Lambs | 14944 | ▲7,038 | 71722 | ▲8,250 |
| Ewes and Rams | 5781 | ▼-46,496 | 96710 | ▲32,000 |
| Light Lambs | 0 | ▲0 | 0 | ▼-84 |
| TOTAL | 44804 | ▲12,683 | 823101 | ▼-11,364 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 21 (24.05.2026)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | This week | Change prev. wk | 2025 | Change prev. yr |
| National Avg Price | 918.89 | ▲0 | 844.12 | ▲75 |
| YTD Avg | 847.95 | ▲0 | 875.42 | ▼-52 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| R3L | Overall SQQ* | Type of lamb | |
| 16/05/2026 | 878.9 | 870.9 | New season Lamb |
| 23/05/2026 | 942.5 | 944.1 | New season Lamb |
| Change | ▲64 | ▲73 | |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 1157.3 | 1159.3 | 1 |
