While beef price has kicked on over the last two weeks, Irish factories remain at the bottom of the class in terms of returns to farmers.

Irish bullocks are trading at between €4.20/kg and €4.25/kg this week, while heifers are moving at €4.25/kg to €4.30/kg.

Some factories have had to increase quotes as high as €4.45/kg to get heifers in the last few days.

Our main export markets across Europe have all seen huge price rises in recent weeks with an R3 heifer in the Netherlands this week coming in at €4.50/kg and R3 French heifers coming in at €4.60/kg.

The R3 English heifer price comes in at €5.20/kg, and German and Polish R3 heifers are at €4.64, while the Irish price hovers around €4.45/kg including bonuses.

Price difference

There is currently a €250 price difference in killing a 330kg deadweight R3 heifer in England compared to Ireland.

Beef finishers have been faced with a hike in meal and diesel costs in recent weeks and this week’s small increase in beef price has been quickly eroded by increased input costs.

Demand remains very strong from the UK retail and food service market and factories remain very hungry for cattle.

A large increase in the number of 2020-born cattle being slaughtered at the moment has meant the kill has remained high at 35,000.

However, these numbers are expected to tighten further in the next two to three weeks.

IFA livestock chair Brendan Golden said there is “no justification for Irish beef prices lagging behind the prime export benchmark price by 17c/kg and factories must start returning the full value of the current market in beef prices offered to farmers”.