Weekly factory cattle supplies in Ireland dipped slightly to just over 32,500 head in the week ending Sunday 13 September, according to Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) figures, but the weekly kill remains 12.6 per cent above the same week of last year.

Cumulatively the kill to date is more than 37,000 head, or 3.2 per cent, behind the same point of 2025, a gap that has been narrowing since factory supplies began to rise in July. Last year's pattern was the reverse: strong supplies in the first half and weaker numbers in the second.

Heading into the 2026 National Ploughing Championships, factory quotes barely moved, with several outlets holding their offers at the previous week's level. Heifers were generally quoted at €6.50–6.55/kg on the grid and steers at €6.40/kg. At the same point last year, heifers and steers were being quoted at €7.30 and €7.20/kg respectively.

Paul Nolan of Dawn Meats, speaking on Agriland's Beef Brief podcast panel at the Ploughing, said the current base price for bullocks and heifers was "not bad considering where we are in terms of demand in the market". Demand had been "very sluggish right since Christmas, right across Europe", he said, and the relatively low throughput at factories this year had still been enough to satisfy it.

Compiled by the Agriland Technical Team from DAFM weekly kill data.

Source: Agriland