Irish Cattle Supplies Tighten as Prices Hold Steady
The Irish beef market trends continue to reflect a tightening of cattle supplies across the country. Prices are holding steady despite seasonal pressures. This stability is drawing attention from processors and exporters alike, as demand remains firm.
Cattle supplies in Ireland fell sharply compared with last year, even as weekly throughput showed a slight rise. Figures from the Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Bord Bia) indicate that 26,268 cattle were processed in the week ending 23 August, up 759 head on the week but 21% below the same period in 2024.
Prime cattle throughput for the year to date remains broadly in line with last year, but cow slaughter numbers are down 14% as higher milk prices and recent heavy culling have tightened supply. Overall cattle kill across Department of Agriculture–approved plants is 6% lower year-on-year.
Processors kept quotes stable this week, offering €7.50–€7.60/kg for steers and €7.60–€7.70/kg for heifers. Prices for young bulls under 16 months rose to €7.90–8.00/kg, while R-grade cows were quoted at €7.40–7.50/kg, with stronger prices available for higher-grading animals.
The average R3 steer price was unchanged at €7.58/kg, reaching levels last seen in May. Notably, Irish cattle now command a premium over the UK, where the average R3 steer price stood at €7.48/kg. In mainland Europe, young bull prices edged up slightly to €6.83/kg, leaving them around 75c/kg lower than Irish levels.
