The beef trade remains relatively unchanged this week, with quotes at a similar level at where they were last week.

It’s the first week in a number of weeks which hasn’t seen another lift, pointing to a stabilising of the trade.

Bullocks are generally working of a base quote of €6.60/kg to €6.70/kg this week, with heifers generally being quoted at €6.70/kg to €6.80/kg.

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Some of the larger operators are continuing to work off base prices 10c to 15c/kg above quotes being paid to some of the smaller finishers marketing cattle at the moment.

Flat prices are still very common, with €7.20/kg on the table for anybody with in-spec bullocks or heifers.

Continental bulls are also being bought flat by some factories, with €6.80/kg to €7/kg on the table in some locations.

Numbers are still very tight, with factory agents very active in marts around the country hoovering up cattle with flesh.

Demand for cows has eased a little this week, especially for Friesian-type cows. There are a little more Friesian cows coming on the market in the south and east of the country as some dairy farmers look to offload culls a little earlier based on the current grass situation.

R grading cows are being priced around €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg, with more going to those with numbers.

U grading cows are now being bought at €6.50/kg, with higher prices going to regular cow sellers and specialist feeders.

O grading cows are being bought for around €6.10/kg to €6.20/kg.

P+3 cows are coming in at €6.00/kg to €6.10/kg.

Some of the specialist cow producers dealing in bigger numbers have been able to squeeze more out of the market this week.

R grading bulls are coming in at €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg, with U grading bulls being quoted at €6.60/kg to €6.70/kg, depending on numbers and type.

O grading bulls are working off an all-in price of €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg, while P grading bulls are being quoted at €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Over-age bulls are generally working off a price of €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg, depending on grades and flesh cover. Under-16-month bulls are working off a €6.40/kg base price on the grid.

Last week’s kill came in at 26,836 head, an increase of 2,200 head on the previous week.

The biggest increase came in the cows and bullock category. Bullocks rose to 9,543 head, an increase of just under 1,000 on last week, while cows saw an increase of close to 850 to 7,376. Heifers saw an increase of close to 500 head on last week.

The total kill for the year to date is running 81,000 head over the previous year’s kill.

Heifers have seen the biggest drop in the last 12 months and are currently running just over 30,000 head over the 2025 figure. Some recovery is expected towards the end of the summer and the weather conditions will likely dictate how fast that recovery happens.

Across the water

The AHDB recently looked at food service meat sales in the 12 months up to 14 June 2026.

Overall volumes were back 3.5% year on year, with beef burger volumes up 1.6% in the last 12 months.

Prices have remained steady over the last week, with £6/kg to £6.10/kg (€7.37/kg to €7.49/kg including VAT) available for in-spec bullocks and heifers.

Looking further afield, Brazil is becoming resigned to the fact that its beef will be banned from the European market from 3 September.

The Brazilian beef exporters association has also said that the likelihood is that Brazilian beef will be locked out of the European market for a period of two years until Brazil can prove that all animals can be certified in relation to antibiotic usage for the duration of their life.