Last week’s Teagasc National Beef Farm Walk on the Pringle family farm in Co Wicklow showcased an excellently run farm operating at the highest level of technical efficiency.
The farm, which is profiled by Darren Carty on pages 36 and 37, generated a net profit of over €1,450/ha, showing that when farms are run at a high level of efficiency and coupled with a good beef price, they can deliver a worthwhile contribution to family farm income.
It is important to showcase these systems if we are to attract the next generation of farmers into the sector and provide workable blueprints.
Unfortunately, the article also encapsulates the harsh realities of beef farming. The shed of bulls ready for slaughter are worth approximately €11,500 less than in 2025, while input costs are trending upwards and will eat into income generated.
New expenses such as bluetongue virus vaccination will add costs of €2,000 to €3,000 plus to the system. These are all costs that farmers are exposed to through no fault of their own and cannot be recouped from anywhere else.
Ireland will take over the EU presidency in the coming weeks at a critical time.
The reality is that on many beef farms, 100% of family farm income comes from scheme payments. Proposed cuts in the next CAP must be reversed.
The processing sector has a responsibility to return a margin – the current situation where farmers are facing weeks of delays to get cattle booked for slaughter is a hard pill to swallow when prices are dwindling.
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