While the last few weeks hampered turnout on a lot of farms, the last few days has taken the pressure off yards, with sheds emptying.

The reduced need to sell stock has probably helped the supply situation, with factory agents getting more and more anxious for stock as we move through the spring.

Some agents are still talking about the end of May and June as being a particular pinch point for supplies.

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Bullocks are generally moving at a base price of €6.60/kg to €6.80/kg, while heifers are working off a base price of €6.70/kg to €6.90/kg.

There is also some renewed interest from factories north of the border, with a base price of €7/kg for cattle to go north this week.

Flat prices of €7/kg to 7.10/kg are available for in-spec Aberdeen Angus cattle.

Some factories are still slow to pay breed bonuses, but there is up to 20c/kg available for in-spec Aberdeen Angus and Hereford cattle.

There are also now very few delays in getting cattle killed, with agents generally active looking for stock this week.

Despite the positive sentiment in the trade, the Irish market continues to perform at odds with those of our main markets.

The prime Irish composite price was sitting at €7.09/kg excluding VAT on 14 February, dropping to €6.65/kg excluding VAT for the week commencing 11 April.

The prime export benchmark price, on the other hand, was sitting at €7.23/kg excluding VAT on 14 February and has slipped just 4c/kg to €7.19/kg on 11 April compared with the 43c/kg slip on the Irish price.

The gap between the prime Irish composite price and the prime export benchmark price now stands at 54c/kg – the largest gap since October 2024.

When the UK is excluded, that gap widens to 58c/kg, showing that the European beef market has been performing better than expectations in recent weeks.

Cows

R grading cows are being priced at €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg. U grading cows are now being bought at €6.70/kg.

O grading cows are being bought for €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg. P+3 cows are coming in at €6.20/kg to €6.40/kg, with some factories quoting lower for very light cows.

Bulls

R grading bulls are coming in at €6.80/kg to €6.90/kg and U grading bulls are being quoted at €7.00/kg, although bulls are in short supply, with low numbers being killed.

There are a number of operators still able to squeeze €7/kg for mixtures of R and U grading bulls.

O grading bulls are working off an all-in price of €6.50/kg to €6.70/kg, while P grading bulls are being quoted at €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Over-age bulls are generally working off prices of €6.80/kg to €6.90/kg, depending on grades and flesh cover.

Under-16-month bulls are working off a €6.70/kg to €6.80/kg base price on the grid.

Last week’s kill came in at 31,474, an increase of just under 1,000 head on the previous week.

The young bull kill has seen one of the biggest drops in recent weeks, with last week’s bull kill dropping to 1,391 head, down from a peak of 3,526 at the end of January. The 2026 kill now stands at just under 80,000 head behind the same period in 2025.

‘Price around’

IFA livestock chair Declan Hanrahan said: “It’s becoming increasingly important for farmers to price around when selling cattle, as there is more money going in certain factories when pressure is applied.

“Factory agents are very active looking for cattle and farmers should sell hard as supplies tighten in the next few weeks.”

Across the water, quotes came under a little pressure this week, with in-spec bullocks and heifers generally trading for 640p to 645p/kg (€6.69/kg to €7.74/kg including VAT), leaving the British price 60c to 70c/kg ahead of the Irish price.