Beef Update
IFA Livestock Chairman Declan Hanrahan said beef prices have risen again this week on the back of tight supplies and strong market demand. He said factories are having to pay 10c/kg above quotes this week to secure cattle as farmers rightly dig in and demand stronger returns from the market place. Supplies of beef in the UK and EU are tight, contributing to beef prices in these destinations remaining strong. This provides real opportunity for factories to maximise returns to farmers he said. Factories are offering deals up to €6.05kg for steers and €6.10kg for heifers but are having to give up 10c/kg above these quotes to secure cattle. Flat prices of €6.50kg to €6.80kg have also been secured for suitable lots of cattle and where numbers are involved. Cull cow prices have also increased with prices ranging from €5.20kg to €6.00kg depending on the grade. Young bulls R and U grades are making from €6.20kg to €6.50kg. The IFA Livestock Chairman said farmers should sell hard and consider the mart outlet when selling stock as prices are comparable to and above what factories are offering in cases.
Beef Price Update 31/01/2025
Base Steer €5.95/6.05kg up to €6.15kg paid. Heifers €6.00/6.10kg up to €6.20 paid. Flat prices €6.50/6.80/kg paid. Higher deals for larger and specialist lots. Y Bulls R/U €6.20/6.50Kg. Cows €5.20/6.00kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 04 (26.01.2025)
| Animal | Number | Change prev wk | % of total | YTD | YTD Change |
| Y Bulls | 3,137 | ▼-220 | 8% | 12,616 | ▲110 |
| Bull | 307 | ▲0 | 1% | 1,002 | ▼-258 |
| Steer | 12,544 | ▲1,995 | 34% | 45,572 | ▼-232 |
| Cow | 8,708 | ▲2,228 | 23% | 28,787 | ▼-5,678 |
| Heifer | 12,331 | ▲2,427 | 33% | 44,608 | ▲2,270 |
| Veal-V | 41 | ▲18 | 0% | 121 | ▲76 |
| Veal-Z | 57 | ▲17 | 0% | 376 | ▲248 |
| Total | 37,345 | ▲7,206 | 100% | 133,082 | ▲3,665 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 04 (26.01.2024)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | U3 | Change prev wk | R3 | Change prev wk | O3 | Change prev wk | P+3 | Change prev wk |
| Steers | 633 | ▲18 | 622 | ▲13 | 614 | ▲11 | 585 | ▲12 |
| Heifers | 636 | ▲24 | 626 | ▲23 | 621 | ▲21 | 578 | ▲22 |
| Y Bulls | 632 | ▲29 | 618 | ▲22 | 602 | ▲20 | 603 | ▲30 |
| Cows | 0 | ▲0 | 577 | ▲26 | 539 | ▲23 | 521 | ▲23 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| Steers | Steers | Heifers | Heifers | Y bull | Y bull | Cow | |
| p/kg | R3 | R4L | R3 | R4L | R3 | R4L | -O4L |
| 04/01/2025 | 582 | 586.7 | 578.5 | 584.5 | 568.4 | 567.2 | 428.5 |
| 25/01/2025 | 597.2 | 601.6 | 595.0 | 598.3 | 580.9 | 577.2 | 445.7 |
| Change | ▲15 | ▲15 | ▲4 | ▲14 | ▲13 | ▲10 | ▲17 |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 750.8 | 756.3 | 748.0 | 752.1 | 730.3 | 725.6 | 560.3 |
Euro Price for the Most Recent Week (€/KG Deadweight excl. VAT)
| Country & Type | 04.01.2022 | 30.12.2023 | 4.01.2025 |
| EU + Y Bulls | € 5.21 | € 4.97 | € 5.61 |
| IE + Steers | € 5.00 | € 5.03 | € 5.64 |
| UK + Steers | € 5.12 | € 5.64 | € 6.65 |
Live Cattle Exports 13th February
Sheep Update
IFA Sheep Chair Adrian Gallagher said market conditions point to a strong start for sheep meat prices in 2025 driven by reducing supplies in all sheep producing countries. He said supplies of lamb here will be extremely tight particularly early in the year and with Chinese and US imports increasing from NZ and Australia cheaper imports to the EU and UK markets should be diverted to these markets helping drive demand for Irish sheep meat in our well-established markets. The IFA Sheep Chair said farmers should not be panicked by unfounded negativity from factories on market conditions. The reality is numbers of suitable sheep for processing on the ground are extremely tight, factories have very lucrative customers to service each week and simply must maintain and build on the prices these markets have become accustomed to paying for sheep meat. Adrian Gallagher said farmers should continue to sell lambs as they become fit, but shop around and strongly reject any unfounded negativity around market conditions from factories and their agents.
Lamb Price Update 31/01/2025
Lambs €8.80kg/9.10kg. Weights to 24kg. Higher deals groups/larger lots. Ewes €4.80/5.10/kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 04 (26.01.2025)
| Animal | Figure | Change | YTD | YTD Change |
| Lambs/Hoggets | 33,890 | ▼-2,976 | 118,873 | ▼-55,146 |
| Spring Lambs | 0 | ▲0 | 17,278 | ▲8,707 |
| Ewes and Rams | 3,040 | ▼-496 | 11,454 | ▼-9,001 |
| Light Lambs | 4 | ▲2 | 0 | ▼-5 |
| TOTAL | 36,934 | ▼-3,470 | 147,612 | ▼-55,438 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 04 (26.01.2025)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | This week | Change prev. wk | 2024 | Change prev. yr |
| National Avg Price | 755.07 | ▼-12 | 630.58 | ▲216 |
| YTD Avg | 774.29 | ▲3 | 662.54 | ▲217 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| R3L | Overall SQQ* | Type of lamb | |
| 04/01/2025 | 741.8 | 736.0 | New season Lamb |
| 25/01/2025 | 738.4 | 731.2 | New season Lamb |
| Change | ▼-3 | ▼-5 | |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 906.7 | 897.8 | 1 |
Live Sheep Exports 2024
