Beef price drops below €7/kg as processors tighten grip
The reduction is certain to raise serious concerns among livestock farmers about expectations for the year ahead.
After weeks of threatening further cuts, processors have acted this week to take another bite out of finishers’ returns by breaching the €7/kg barrier.
It marks the first time since mid-March 2025 that steer finishers are being offered for less than €7/kg, despite cattle supplies to processing plants running well below the same period last year.
The reduction is certain to raise serious concerns among livestock farmers about expectations for the year ahead.
Factory prices for both steers and heifers have been reduced by up to a further 10c/kg, and finishers are beginning to feel the pressure eating into their profits — in sharp contrast to a year ago.
The general base on offer for steers this week is 690c/kg. A good percentage of this week’s kill was bought last week at the then prevailing prices, which are being honoured.
However, instructions from factory management this week are to stick firmly to the quoted rates.
Some suppliers report deals of up to 5c/kg above base for larger numbers within specific carcass weight ranges, but last week’s higher prices are now largely history.
Heifers remain at a premium of 10c/kg over steers, with a general base of 700c/kg.
The trade has turned sharply compared with last year. At the beginning of March 2025, the steer base stood at 600–610c/kg and was increasing week on week before later reaching record highs.
The major difference this year is the cost of stores last autumn. With current prices, many finishers are losing money, with deficits estimated at €200–€250/head.
Steers and heifers are now being hardest hit, while cows appear to be showing greater resilience against the downward pressure.
R-grade cows are making up to 660–670c/kg — a narrow margin below prime beef — while young bull prices have also eased to around 710c/kg for R-grade animals this week.
Although factory throughput is down 46,000 head over the first eight weeks of the year, processors have been placing suppliers on waiting lists in recent weeks, claiming that current supplies are adequate to meet market demand.
