IFA livestock chairman Declan Hanrahan said beef prices have steadied and started to rise as supplies tighten and demand remains strong from our key markets. Declan Hanrahan said the throughput last week was over 2,800 cattle back on the same week in 2024 with this trend predicted to continue for the remainder of the year. He said in the UK supplies are projected to be back 4% on 2024 and already this is impacting on price, the UK price remained steady last week at the equivalent of almost €8/kg for R4L steers following a few weeks of price drops, with store cattle prices in UK marts strengthening as feeders anticipate stronger prices in the coming weeks and months. The IFA livestock chairman said the Bord Bia EU prime export benchmark price is also reflecting strengthening prices for beef on the continent with the latest reported price increasing by almost 40c/kg. Declan Hanrahan said factories here have had to increase their offerings for cattle to get supplies as farmers pushed back strongly against the lower quotes of recent weeks. He said the mart trade is also providing a realistic alternative to factories for farmers with cull cows and finished cattle to sell where prices are easily comparable and in cases above factory prices. The IFA livestock chairman said farmers should sell hard.
Beef Price Update 04/07/2025
Base Steer €7.20/7.30kg. Heifers €7.30/7.40kg. Higher deals and flat prices for larger and specialist lots. Y Bulls R/U €7.40/7.60Kg. Cows €6.40/7.20kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 26 (29.06.2025)
| Animal | Number | Change prev wk | % of total | YTD | YTD Change |
| Y Bulls | 2,937 | ▲90 | 10% | 62,227 | ▼-2,859 |
| Bull | 469 | ▼-100 | 2% | 12,739 | ▼-1,344 |
| Steer | 10,409 | ▲545 | 36% | 318,524 | ▲11,605 |
| Cow | 6,577 | ▼-570 | 23% | 196,807 | ▼-19,450 |
| Heifer | 8,570 | ▲178 | 30% | 277,423 | ▲24,728 |
| Veal-V | 28 | ▲20 | 0% | 2,699 | ▼-16,453 |
| Veal-Z | 24 | ▼-10 | 0% | 1,551 | ▲416 |
| Total | 29,014 | ▲153 | 100% | 871,970 | ▲3,665 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 26 (29.06.2025)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | U3 | Change prev wk | R3 | Change prev wk | O3 | Change prev wk | P+3 | Change prev wk |
| Steers | 771 | ▼-5 | 759 | ▼-8 | 749 | ▼-8 | 713 | ▼-6 |
| Heifers | 780 | ▼-9 | 764 | ▼-10 | 755 | ▼-10 | 703 | ▼-9 |
| Y Bulls | 456 | ▼-308 | 747 | ▼-5 | 730 | ▼-7 | 721 | ▼-8 |
| Cows | 0 | ▲0 | 709 | ▼-8 | 672 | ▼-3 | 658 | ▼-5 |
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 |
| 21/06/2025 | 642.5 | 647.5 | 639.1 | 647.3 | 631.6 | 631.4 | 528.0 |
| 28/06/2025 | 642.8 | 645.7 | 640.0 | 646.8 | 628.2 | 629.6 | 530.9 |
| Change | ▲0 | ▼-2 | ▲4 | ▼-1 | ▼-3 | ▼-2 | ▲3 |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 808.1 | 811.7 | 804.6 | 813.1 | 789.7 | 791.5 | 667.4 |
Euro Price for the Most Recent Week (€/KG Deadweight excl. VAT)
| Country & Type | 17.06.2023 | 22.06.2024 | 21.06.2025 |
| EU + Y Bulls | € 4.93 | € 5.07 | € 6.23 |
| IE + Steers | € 5.09 | € 5.22 | € 7.31 |
| UK + Steers | € 5.68 | € 5.67 | € 7.45 |
Live Cattle Exports 23rd June
Sheep Update
IFA Sheep Chair Adrian Gallagher said dog owners who fail to keep their pets under control should be disqualified from dog ownership. Addressing the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine this afternoon, he said the escalating problem of dog attacks on livestock will not be solved unless there is a determined and focused approach from the authorities. He said the option exists for the courts to disbar ownership of protected animals if there is a failure to comply with welfare obligations in the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. “Given the devastation caused by an increasing number of dog attacks on sheep in particular, zero tolerance has to be the policy. The Animal Health and Welfare Act sanctions should be extended to irresponsible dog owners who allow their pets cause this devastation on farms.” Adrian Gallagher said the decision to have the Department of Agriculture as the single enforcement authority is a move in the right direction, but we should have seen this happen long before now. As part of a comprehensive submission to the Committee, which can be read here, Adrian Gallagher said the critical issue is the absence of a proper database. The most recent figures show just over 200,000 dogs registered. Some estimates put the dog population as high as 800,000. This means the number in the system could be as low as one in four. Until this administrative failure is addressed, we cannot make progress on a robust enforcement process,” he said.
Lamb Price Update 04/07/2025
Hoggets €7.20kg/7.50kg. Spring lambs €8.70kg to €9.00kg. Higher deals groups/larger lots. Ewes €4.60/5.30/kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 26 (29.06.2025)
| Animal | Figure | Change | YTD | YTD Change |
| Lambs/Hoggets | 2,404 | ▼-1,470 | 750,941 | ▼-138,100 |
| Spring Lambs | 32,443 | ▲844 | 208,361 | ▼-22,008 |
| Ewes and Rams | 3,768 | ▲162 | 83,837 | ▼-35,315 |
| Light Lambs | 0 | ▼-4 | 104 | ▲10 |
| TOTAL | 38,615 | ▼-468 | 1043,243 | ▼-195,413 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 26 (29.06.2025)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | This week | Change prev. wk | 2024 | Change prev. yr |
| National Avg Price | 822.93 | ▲2 | 803.89 | ▲19 |
| YTD Avg | 8.64.84 | ▼-2 | 810.24 | ▲55 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| R3L | Overall SQQ* | Type of lamb | |
| 21/06/2025 | 747.4 | 748.8 | New season Lamb |
| 28/06/2025 | 751.1 | 748.2 | New season Lamb |
| Change | ▲4 | ▼-1 | |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 922.3 | 918.7 | 1 |
Live Sheep Exports 2025
