Beef Update
IFA President Francie Gorman will hold a series of high-level discussions in Brussels tomorrow about the Mercosur trade deal. As part of the COPA meeting with the incoming EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen, the IFA President said he will be raising the very real concerns about the impact of the deal for the Irish beef and poultry sectors if passed. Francie Gorman will also meet officials from DG Trade to set out the dangers of a deal for farming.
IFA will hold a bilateral meeting with our French counterparts FNSEA to maintain the strong alliance in opposition to the deal. “The Commission’s plans appear to be to ignore the devastating impact of agricultural production in Brazil, while at the same time imposing greater regulations on farmers here. The next Government cannot allow this to happen. They must stand up for Irish farmers. Committing to support the beef sector as part of our General Election would be meaningless if this deal is allowed to go through,” Francie Gorman said. We secured commitments from the three main party leaders at the recent meeting of our National Council. Farmers need the three main leaders to be united on this.
Beef Price Update 29/11/2024
Base Quotes Steer €5.30/5.40kg. Heifers €5.40/5.50kg. Higher deals and flat prices for larger and specialist lots. Y Bulls R/U €5.50/5.70Kg. Cows €4.70/5.50kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 47 (24.11.2024)
| Animal | Number | Change prev wk | % of total | YTD | YTD Change |
| Y Bulls | 1,767 | ▼-303 | 4% | 95,320 | ▼-9,363 |
| Bull | 395 | ▼-54 | 1% | 26,292 | ▲531 |
| Steer | 14,823 | ▲229 | 37% | 627,891 | ▼-9,941 |
| Cow | 10,373 | ▲295 | 26% | 398,946 | ▲28,772 |
| Heifer | 12,353 | ▼-16 | 31% | 468,155 | ▲23,868 |
| Veal-V | 23 | ▼-170 | 0% | 20,628 | ▼-10,089 |
| Veal-Z | 78 | ▼-24 | 0% | 1,788 | ▲243 |
| Total | 39,812 | ▼-43 | 100% | 1,639,020 | ▲3,665 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 47 (24.11.2024)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | U3 | Change prev wk | R3 | Change prev wk | O3 | Change prev wk | P+3 | Change prev wk |
| Steers | 656 | ▲96 | 556 | ▲2 | 548 | ▲3 | 517 | ▲6 |
| Heifers | 572 | ▲5 | 562 | ▲5 | 559 | ▲5 | 512 | ▲6 |
| Y Bulls | 557 | ▲1 | 551 | ▲2 | 539 | ▲4 | 533 | ▲2 |
| Cows | 0 | ▲0 | 514 | ▲5 | 484 | ▲4 | 465 | ▲4 |
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 |
| 16/11/2024 | 532 | 535.7 | 531.6 | 534.3 | 516.2 | 513.2 | 378.1 |
| 23/11/2024 | 539.6 | 541.9 | 537.5 | 540.2 | 525.8 | 527.3 | 385.3 |
| Change | ▲8 | ▲6 | ▲512 | ▲6 | ▲10 | ▲14 | ▲7 |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 678.4 | 681.2 | 675.7 | 679.1 | 661.0 | 662.9 | 484.4 |
Euro Price for the Most Recent Week (€/KG Deadweight excl. VAT)
| Country & Type | 2022 | 18.11.2023 | 23.11.2024 |
| EU + Y Bulls | Not Available | € 4.92 | € 5.55 |
| IE + Steers | Not Available | € 4.66 | € 5.31 |
| UK + Steers | Not Available | € 5.49 | € 6.33 |
Live Cattle Exports 11th November
Sheep Update
IFA National Sheep Chair Adrian Gallagher has strongly condemned the recent dog attacks on sheep in Cork and Clare, calling it a stark reminder of the ongoing crises of irresponsible dog ownership. He said 20 sheep have been killed in the incidence in Cork with more to be put down due to the severity of their injuries while over 7 have been killed or injured in Clare. The IFA National Sheep Chair described the both incidents as another act of failure from Government to put actions in place to deal with irresponsible dog ownership across the country. It’s a national crisis that needs a solution immediately. He said the time for talking is over, dog attacks on livestock have reached unprecedented levels and farmers have had enough. IFA have put forward strong measures that are needed to control dog attacks to both Ministers responsible for this area but we have not seen any progress on any of these proposals as the devastation continues. He said current systems in place are failing to protect farmers and their livestock. The level of sanctions that are in place do not reflect the level trauma these dogs are causing.
Lamb Price Update 22/11/2024
Spring Lamb €8.00kg/8.30kg. Weights to 24kg. Higher deals groups/larger lots. Ewes €3.80/4.20/kg.
Supply Figures as Reported by DAFM – WK 47 (24.11.2024)
| Animal | Figure | Change | YTD | YTD Change |
| Lambs/Hoggets | 1,057 | ▼-207 | 900,182 | ▼-86,255 |
| Spring Lambs | 31,571 | ▼-1,075 | 1,143,925 | ▼-157,257 |
| Ewes and Rams | 3,108 | ▼-699 | 253,006 | ▼-52,964 |
| Light Lambs | 4 | ▲2 | 120 | ▼-29 |
| TOTAL | 35,740 | ▼-1,979 | 2,297,233 | ▼-296,505 |
Official Irish Prices as Reported by DAFM – WK 47 (24.11.2024)
| c/kg (Incl. VAT) | This week | Change prev. wk | 2023 | Change prev. yr |
| National Avg Price | 755.07 | ▲7 | 630.58 | ▲128 |
| YTD Avg | 774.29 | ▲0 | 662.54 | ▲113 |
Official GB Prices as Reported by AHDB
| R3L | Overall SQQ* | Type of lamb | |
| 16/11/2024 | 651.5 | 648.6 | New season Lamb |
| 23/11/2024 | 663.6 | 661.2 | New season Lamb |
| Change | ▲12 | ▲13 | |
| Price in c/kg (Incl VAT) | 814.8 | 811.9 | 1 |
Live Sheep Exports 15th October
