Losses of up to £200 per head are likely to be incurred by beef finishers this spring.

Margins have come under pressure due to a combination of falling factory prices, high production costs and the higher prices paid for livestock throughout 2025.

The analysis is based on a 550kg continental steer purchased at a conservative price of 400p/kg last autumn, which equates to £2,200 per head.

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Variable costs associated with rearing this animal are approximately £405, with fixed costs of £161.50.

At the current factory price for an R3 steer of 642p/kg, a 400kg carcase will return £2,570, leaving the beef finisher struggling to even cover direct feed costs and with an average overall loss of £196.50 per head.

This calculation makes no allowance for poorer-performing animals or mortality within a finishing unit, nor does it factor in any margin. On the flip side, there is also no account taken of the £75/head Beef Carbon Reduction (BCR) scheme payment.

Previous analysis by the Irish Farmers Journal showed that, at the prices being paid for short-term keep store cattle in marts back in September 2025, beef finishers would need prices upwards of 700p/kg in March 2026 to achieve positive margins.

The trade for cattle in NI remains steady, although factory agents have trimmed back their offering in the last couple of weeks, with deals on offer for U-3 cattle starting around the 642p to 644p/kg mark.

While finished numbers remain relatively tight, sources in the trade maintain that high-value cuts remain a difficult sell in Britain amid competition from cheap Australian and New Zealand imports.