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Live exports are up 20% in 2019 but steer price is back almost 7%, according to Bord Bia. Liffey Mills held an industry forum for its customers on the future of agriculture at its stores in Ballymaley, Ennis, Co Clare, last night.
Joe Burke, Bord Bia senior manager of beef and livestock, explained that suckler calf registrations in 2019 were down 27,000.
However, dairy calf registrations were up 22,000 in total. Calf registrations were down 5,000, with just over 2.2 million calves registered in total in 2019.
Burke also explained total live exports were up 20% (to 266,000) to the end of Ocotber 2019, with only two countries – Belgium and Turkey – showing lower numbers exported.
Beef price
On price, Burke explained that the Irish R3 steer price was 6.7% lower than in 2018. If you compared prices on 2 November, Irish price was €3.44 c/kg versus €3.81c/kg for the UK and the continental EU price is at €3.56 c/kg.
When you look at it for year to date, the price for the Irish R3 steer price is at €3.62/kg versus €3.87 for R3 steers in the UK and €3.60 for the young bull R3 in the EU.
Brexit
Thia Hennessy, formerly of Teagasc and now dean of school and chair of agri-food economics at Cork University Business School, explained what might happen given different Brexit scenarios.
She listed the different variables how agri food will be affected, such as exchange rates, trade policy with the UK, regulatory alignment, border on the island of Ireland, size of the EU budget and agricultural policy in the UK.
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