The farmer share of the retail price in Ireland is approximately 44%, Bord Bia told farm organisations and Meat Industry Ireland (MII) this week in the latest round of beef talks.

For the 52 weeks ending 14 July the average retail price for all types of beef sold in Irish supermarkets and butchers was €8.97/kg while the average farmgate price for R3 steers was €3.90/kg when VAT is included.

Cattle prices have been well below the 52-week average over recent weeks. For the same 52-week period ending 14 July, the average UK retail price was £7.81/kg (€8.49/kg at current exchange rate).

Specifications

On the issue of specifications, Bord Bia confirmed that following a survey of customer requirements, all of the main Irish supermarkets, who between them buy almost 92% of all beef retailed, specify beef from steers and heifers under 30 months.

The three largest supermarkets in the UK with 47% of retail sales also require beef from steers and heifers under 30 months with some acceptance of young bulls under 16 months, though not for steaks and joints. Bord Bia also said that cattle under 30 months were a requirement for the main retail and premium food service markets on the continent and many countries outside the EU, including China.

Cattle meeting spec

On the various specification issues, Bord Bia highlighted that in 2018, 73% of steers and 84% of heifers were slaughtered under 30 months and 92% of both steers and heifers spent at least 70 days on the last farm prior to slaughter.

As for farm residencies or "moves" as it is often referred to, just 2% of steers and 1% of heifers had more than four residencies, the specification limit.

Consumption

The Bord Bia presentation revealed that Irish beef consumption was 94,000t annually, approximately 15% of beef produced in Ireland, and the other notable feature of the Irish market is the continued growth of discount retailers Aldi and Lidl who between them had 28.3% of retail beef sales for the four weeks ending 14 July 2019.

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