Fears Irish beef may get too expensive for the UK

Beef cattle prices in the UK are fast approaching £7 (€8.30) per deadweight kg, or close to £3,000 (€3,550) liveweight, which many in the industry fear is unsustainable for butchers and processors

A reputation for high quality helps Ireland to dominate UK beef imports.

Beef cattle prices will stay strong "through the coming year" in the UK and Ireland, predicts the UK's Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

But the two key watchpoints, going forward, are how recent cattle price rises transmit through the chain to the consumer, and any subsequent impact this may have on beef purchases, said AHDB Livestock Analyst Grace Bolton.