Beef Update
IFA Livestock Chairman Brendan Golden said beef prices continue to edge upwards as factories struggle to match supplies with market demand.
He said numbers of suitable cattle are tight on the ground and factory agents are competing very strongly for finished and forward store cattle paying above what factories are offering in some instances.
He said this is evident in the weekly throughput which has falling for the second consecutive week in a row.
The kill to date is back 17,208 head compared to the same period in 2022 and cattle throughput is projected to fall a further 6% in the second quarter 2023.
The IFA Livestock Chairman said it’s the most expensive period of the year to finish cattle and factories must ensure strong viable returns to farmers to reflect production costs on farms.
Beef Price Update 13/04/2023
Base Quotes Steer €5.25/5.35kg. Heifers €5.30/5.40kg. Higher deals and flat prices for larger and specialist lots. Y Bulls R/U €5.10/5.60Kg. Cows €4.50/5.20kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 14 (09.04.2023)
| Animal | Number | Change prev wk | % of total | YTD | YTD Change |
| Y Bulls | 1416 | ▼-361 | 4% | 37921 | ▼-5,848 |
| Bull | 511 | ▼-10 | 2% | 6435 | ▼-113 |
| Steer | 12208 | ▼-71 | 38% | 165193 | ▼-8,188 |
| Cow | 6907 | ▼-384 | 21% | 107065 | ▲1,516 |
| Heifer | 9089 | ▲122 | 28% | 139071 | ▼-6,716 |
| Veal-V | 1971 | ▼-156 | 6% | 27546 | ▲2,027 |
| Veal-Z | 60 | ▲26 | 0% | 707 | ▲114 |
| Total | 32162 | ▼-834 | 100% | 483938 | ▼-17,208 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 14 (09.04.2023)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | U3 | Change prev wk | R3 | Change prev wk | O3 | Change prev wk | P+3 | Change prev wk |
| Steers | 563 | ▲0 | 554 | ▲1 | 542 | ▲2 | 509 | ▲0 |
| Heifers | 570 | ▲2 | 557 | ▲1 | 549 | ▲1 | 496 | ▼-5 |
| Y Bulls | 550 | ▲1 | 536 | ▼-1 | 521 | ▲0 | 510 | ▼-1 |
| Cows | 0 | ▲0 | 506 | ▼-4 | 477 | ▲1 | 458 | ▲2 |
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 |
| 01/04/2023 | 496.4 | 497.9 | 495 | 497.3 | 485.7 | 485.4 | 405 |
| 08/04/2023 | 496.5 | 499.0 | 490.5 | 496.6 | 499.3 | 488.4 | 485.1 |
| Change | ▲0 | ▲1 | ▲2 | ▲2 | ▼-1 | ▲2 | ▲2 |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 595.8 | 598.8 | 595.9 | 599.2 | 582.1 | 584.4 | 488.9 |
Euro Price for the Most Recent Week (€/KG Deadweight excl. VAT)
| Country & Type | 27.03.2021 | 26.03.2022 | 01.04.2023 |
| EU + Y Bulls | € 3.74 | € 5.16 | € 5.06 |
| IE + Steers | € 3.83 | € 4.76 | € 5.26 |
| UK + Steers | € 4.58 | € 5.08 | € 5.57 |
Live Exports W/C 03.04.2023
Sheep Update
IFA Sheep Chairman Kevin Comiskey said the latest CSO agriculture output index for February highlights the extent of the crisis in the sheep sector while sheep farmers wait on the Government’s response. He said the CSO index shows sheep farmers to be the only sector losing ground in output value, dropping 8.9% to the end of February, when all other sectors recorded average growth of 33%. At the same time, sheep farmers endured the same level of exposure to the input price increase of 16.4%. Kevin Comiskey met with Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue earlier this week and put forward the facts as presented by Bord Bia, Teagasc, all of which clearly, concisely and consistently show the extent of the crisis in the sector. The Minister and his Government colleagues cannot continue to ignore these facts and the seriousness of the situation on sheep farms.
Lamb Price Update 13/04/2023
Hogget €7.30/7.50/kg. Higher deals groups/larger lots. Spr Lamb €7.90/8.10/kg. Ewes €3.30/3.60/kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 14 (09.04.2023)
| Animal | Figure | Change | YTD | YTD Change |
| Lambs/Hoggets | 57467 | ▼-1,119 | 686232 | ▲32,013 |
| Spring Lambs | 1914 | ▲171 | 4467 | ▼-593 |
| Ewes and Rams | 4359 | ▲198 | 75632 | ▲5,196 |
| Light Lambs | 4 | ▼-1 | 53 | ▲27 |
| TOTAL | 63744 | ▼-751 | 766384 | ▲36,643 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 14 (09.04.2023)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | WK 14 | Change prev. wk | 2022 | Change prev. yr |
| National Avg Price | 654.49 | ▲14 | 705.22 | ▼-51 |
| YTD Avg | 620.57 | ▲3 | 681.85 | ▼-61 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| R3L | Overall SQQ* | Type of lamb | |
| 01/04/2023 | 587.6 | 583.1 | Old season lamb |
| 08/04/2023 | 609.2 | 605.3 | Old season lamb |
| Change | ▲22 | ▲22 | |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 731.0 | 726.4 |
Live Sheep Exports 18.01.2023
