Farmers are at risk of losing tens of millions of euros due to insufficient checks by the Department of Agriculture on meat factory grading and the trimming of carcases, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has claimed.

Just one kilo of over-trim on the 1.5 million cattle slaughtered last year would cost farmers more than €10m at current beef prices, the farm body pointed out.

Factory inspections on both grading and trimming needed to be ramped up significantly to protect farmer confidence in the factory payments system, said ICMSA livestock chair Michael O’Connell.

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The Department’s annual report on Beef Carcase Classification and Price Reporting stated that 670 inspections were carried out in 2025 across the all 33 factories that operate Beef Carcase Classification. This resulted in checks on 55,569 carcases over the course of the year.

However, the ICMSA questioned the effectiveness of the Department’s inspection regime, and called for an overhaul of the grid payment system.

The farm body pointed out that a total of 702 carcase classification and grading checks were carried out in 2024. That is 32 more than in 2025.

“How are farmers to have faith in carcase grading when the body which governs the proper calibration of machines is actually going backwards in terms of inspecting carcases?” O’Connell asked.

“We believe it is time for a comprehensive review of inspections for grading, carcase trimming and price reporting,” the farm representative said.

The farm body also expressed surprise that six beef factories, out of a total of 35 Department-approved plants, are not reporting prices to the Department on a weekly basis.

These factories kill around 80,000 cattle in total each year.

“Farmers will want to know why they have been given this exemption and whether that is affecting the calculation of the base price,” O’Connell said.