Factories signal beef prices may have peaked
Beef prices remain firm as processors compete for available cattle, while the year-to-date supply deficit continues to narrow following several weeks of strong throughput.
Demand for stock at the factories continues to be strong this week, with competition between processors for all available supplies as the current weekly intake runs well ahead of 2025 levels.
Base prices for all categories remain firm, but processors are tightening on the “top-ups” this week, and the vibes from the factories to their suppliers are that factory prices have peaked.
The ban on beef imports to the EU from Brazil created a market void which contributed to returns to suppliers lifting by €100-€140/head over the past five weeks.
Despite the recovery, which was widely welcomed and badly needed to offset increased 2026 input costs, returns to producers for mid-October supplies trailed 2025 by up to €400/head.
“They [processors] are clearly giving us the message this week that there is no more to give on price, at least for the present, and sounding some uncertainty about the prospect of a stronger trade pre-Christmas,” was the summary of one supplier this week.
Base prices for steers this week are ranging from 670-680c/kg, and getting closer to 700c/kg is a challenge even for those with larger numbers of quality animals to offer.
The base for heifers is ranging from 680-690c/kg, with very little more to be gained by hard selling.
In general, southern-based factories are trying to hold close to the lower end of the price range, with those in the west and northwest more willing to pay the extra cents/kg for stock this week.
Official prices compiled by the Department of Agriculture show that the national average base price for steers increased by 32c/kg between late August and mid-October, while the national average base for heifers increased by 29c/kg over the same period.
In 2025, prices coming into autumn were at a record high and began coming under pressure during the September-October period.
Between late August and mid-October 2025, the national average base price for steers reduced by 69c/kg, while the national average base for heifers declined by 68c/kg over the same period.
There was a continued strong supply of cattle to the factories last week at 34,809 head, which was around 300 head fewer than the previous week and 8,700 head more than in the same week last year.
The intake last week included strong supplies in most categories, including 15,617 steers, 10,339 heifers, 7,129 cows and 1,279 young bulls.
The year-to-date supply is now coming closer to the 2025 level, with the deficit falling from over 80,000 head earlier this year to just over 8,000 head at the end of last week.
