Irish beef factories made an operating profit of €56m last year, exclusive Irish Farmers Journal analysis shows.

In the most comprehensive analysis of the margins in the beef processing sector to date, the Irish Farmers Journal has discovered that factories made an operating profit of €32 for every animal slaughtered in 2017.

Department of Agriculture figures show a total of 1.75m head were slaughtered, equating to a profit margin of €56m last year.

The analysis utilises Department of Agriculture classification and price statistics for the national kill, along with Bord Bia’s valuation of meat products, including the fifth quarter.

Margin

Factories on average paid €1,165 for a 330kg carcase, and gained €1,518 from its meat, a margin of €353/head.

The figures uncovered are likely to redouble calls for increased transparency through the food chain, and support the need for urgent action to protect the livelihoods of the primary producers in that food chain – suckler and beef farmers.

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