Irish farmers could gain or lose €40 to €150 per head when choosing which factory to sell their cattle to.

The Irish Farmers Journal factory price leagues show that in 2019 there was a 15c/kg to 17c/kg difference in the price paid by the top- and bottom-performing factories for R3 heifers and steers.

On a typical steer carcase, this equates to €60 per head.

In some instances, the price difference for the same grading carcase was as much as 38c/kg or €150 per head.

For our full beef price analysis for 2019, click here.

The price analysis also shows the extent to which factories cut the price of young bulls in 2019, closing out the year at 43c/kg below the EU average price.

The factory price leagues also expose the extent to which beef factories passed the costs of farmer protests back on to them through lower autumn prices.

Based on comparative data from previous years, the financial burden carried by farmers was €30m.

Irish R3 heifers were consistently 16c/kg behind the EU average in autumn 2019, compared with just a 2c/kg differential in 2018. For steers, the differential in 2019 was 17c/kg or 7c/kg more than the year previous.