The prices secured by farmers for cattle in June 2022 were 27% higher than the prices received during the same month last year, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has found.

The CSO’s latest agricultural output price index suggests that there was a steady increase in cattle prices over the 12-month period, with a further 2.1% price increase demonstrated between May and June this year.

Prices received for calves also increased between June 2021 and June 2022, albeit by a much lower amount at 7.5%.

The CSO found that the prices received by farmers for all livestock increased over the 12 months.

Livestock prices up

Sheep, pig and poultry (meat production) prices increased by 12%, 8.2% and 7% respectively when comparing June 2021 prices to those received in June 2022.

The pig price increase appears to have commenced at the start of the summer, with an increase of 8.1% seen between May and June alone this year.

Over the same period, milk and egg prices also increased by 44.9% and 17.8% respectively. However, the prices received by sheep farmers for wool were 0.5% lower than those in June 2021.

Cereal prices also jumped steadily, with prices received by tillage farmers in June this year 34% higher than the same month last year. Potato prices also increased, with a jump of 18.1% demonstrated by the CSO.

In contrast, the price horticulture farmers received for their vegetables in June 2022 was only 0.9% higher than the same month last year, despite inflationary pressures elsewhere and an increased cost of vegetable production.

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