Good weather in May usually helps the beef trade with farmers concentrating on field activity, but the last two weeks of good weather hasn’t done anything positive for the trade.

If anything, there appears to be more pressure on the trade this week than there was two weeks ago when a lot of cattle were still housed.

Bullocks are working off a base price of €6.60/kg, with heifers moving at €6.70/kg.

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Agents are a little cooler this week, with some pointing to decreased quotes next week.

If this follows through, it would put quotes just short of €1/kg behind where they were in 2025. That equates to almost €400/head on a 400kg carcase, with winter finishers continuing to count their losses on autumn store purchases.

Some factories are still offering flat prices, with €6.90/kg to €7.00/kg paid for in-spec Aberdeen Angus bullocks and heifers this week, while flat prices for Friesian bullocks are back at €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg.

Aberdeen Angus bullocks and heifers are attracting a 20c/kg premium, with in-spec Hereford cattle working off a 10c/kg bonus in most locations.

Forward store cattle in marts have also tracked back a little in recent days, with agents a little less active around rings.

Cows

R grading cows are being priced at €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg. U grading cows are generally now being bought at €6.60/kg, with higher prices going to regular cow sellers and specialist feeders.

O grading cows are being bought for €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg. P+3 cows are coming in at €6.00/kg to €6.10/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 get €6.90/kg for mixtures of R and U grading bulls. Some of the larger bull finishers have been able to get €7.00/kg this week.

O grading bulls are working off an all-in price of €6.40/kg to €6.60/kg, while P grading bulls are being quoted at €6.30/kg to €6.40/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 €6.60/kg to €6.70/kg base price on the grid.

Last week’s kill came in at a similar level to where it was the week before at 30,657 head. There was a slight uplift in the bull kill at just over 1,500 head, but, other than that, it was status quo with the previous week.

The kill was about 2,000 lower than the same week in 2025 and now brings the overall national kill for 2026 just under 85,000 head behind 2025.

Farmers are asking questions about how agents can’t be looking for more cattle and some of the answer lies in the British market.

More pressure from New Zealand and Australian imports to the UK means some Irish product has been displaced by cheaper alternatives.

The UK’s ability to conduct further trade deals with other countries – including Mercosur – is a real worry now for Irish finishers and the industry.

There remains a 45c/kg gap between the prime Irish composite price versus the prime export benchmark price.

The prime export benchmark price has dropped a little in recent weeks, coming back from €7.27/kg ex-VAT in mid-March to €7.11/kg ex-VAT in mid-April. When you exclude the UK, that gap increases to 47c/kg pointing to a slightly stronger EU market.

There is also pressure across the water, with quotes back 5p to 10p/kg in the last week.

Beef quotes in Northern Ireland have also slipped in recent weeks, with in-spec bullocks and heifers now working off £6/kg (€7.31/kg incl VAT).