The beef trade remains in a positive position this week with factories anxious for stock.

Demand has exceeded supply for the last few weeks and that has meant quotes have seen an increase on where they were two weeks ago.

Bullocks are working off a base price of €6.60-€6.70/kg with more going to regular customers and larger feeders.

Heifers are moving at base prices of €6.70-€6.80/kg with heifers in good demand.

Flat prices are still popular this week with €7.20/kg on the table for over 30-month heifers in a number of locations. Aberdeen Angus cattle are also in demand, with as high as €7.20/kg paid for in spec Aberdeen Angus heifers this week, where numbers were involved. Bonuses of up to 20 cent/kg are available for in spec traditionally bred bullocks and heifers.

A number of factories are also throwing in haulage to try and lure supplies their way. Haulage rates can be anything from €25/head upwards, depending on the number of cattle being transported. This could add between 5-10 cent/kg to the price of the cattle, depending on the carcase weights.

Agents continue to be very active ringside, purchasing cattle for direct slaughter and forward stores for a further finishing period. Many agents are pointing to a peak in the market for the second half of October and first two weeks of November, ahead of the Christmas trade.

Bulls

Bulls are also solid this week, with under 24-month U grading bulls coming in at €6.70/kg to €6.80/kg, with R grading bulls being bought at €6.60/kg to €6.70/kg.

Under 16-month bulls are working off a base price of €6.50/kg to €6.60/kg, but numbers are very small.

There is also more life in the cow trade this week, with €6.50/kg available for well-fleshed R grading cows. U grading cows have firmed up a little, with €6.60/kg now on the table for well-fleshed heavy U grading cows.

The mart continues to be the place of choice for many smaller suckler farmers to offload cows, with factory agents going above what is available in factories when buying cows in marts. O grading cows are working off a quote of €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg this week, with P+3 cows coming in at €6.00/kg to €6.10/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Last week’s kill saw a rise of just over 500 head with numbers staying relatively steady across the board. The bullock kill and cow kill both saw reductions over the last seven days with the heifer kill seeing a sight increase.

The 2026 kill is currently running 31,000 head behind the 2025 kill. Last week’s kill was just under 3,500 head behind the same week in 2025.

There is no huge recovery in numbers expected for the remainder of 2026 with October and November predicted to be tighter than usual for cattle supplies.

The latest statistics from the European Commission show that EU beef production in the period January to June 2026 decreased by 2% on the back of reduced breeding animal numbers, due to environmental pressures and profitability issues on farms. EU imports of fresh and frozen beef have increased by 9% or 15,500 tonne on the back of a big increase in Brazilian beef imports into Europe for the first half of 2026.

Brazilian beef imports into the EU were up 44% for the Jan-July period with just over 56,000 tonnes of Brazilian beef imported during that time. Poland saw the largest decrease in beef production in 2026, back by 10% on 2025 levels.

NI

Prices north of the border have increased this week with £6.20/kg (€7.53/kg including VAT) leaving the gap on an in-spec R= bullock at 73 cent/kg or €277/head on a 380kg carcase.

Further afield, the British price also took a lift in the last seven to 10 days with 623p/kg (€7.57/kg including VAT).

This is up 5-6p/kg on the previous week.