The head of the Irish Livestock Dairy Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has criticized factories’ move to cut beef prices by 10 cents per kilogram this week.
Michael O’Connell said this latest price cut was “rubbing salt in the wound” for farmers who saw “€300 to €400 per head wiped off the price of their cattle, excluding feed costs”.
The spring of 2026 was a “spring to forget” for beef processors, he said.
meat
O’Connell said factories cut prices by 10 cents per kilogram “in the first sign of uncertainty in trade.”
“Why should this ‘uncertainty’ be returned to the producing farmers in the form of price cuts? What uncertainty are they talking about?”
“The only thing we know for sure is the fact that beef is scarce globally and food security has never been more important,” he added.
The ICMSA livestock chief said record prices set in 2025 were necessary to “protect previous years which were below average”.
“The factories were never going to allow this to become an annual event, and they have really ‘turned the screw’ on the farmers this year.
“Farmers’ biggest fear now is that expensive stored cattle will be processed between now and the end of summer at a significant loss.
“As usual, Factories “We have decided to follow the tactic of citing some factors that cannot be proven and then offering a comical price cut,” he said.
“The narrative that markets are tough – specifically the UK market – misrepresents the fact that our beef processors have relied on the UK as a first stop for our products for decades.
“The comment about market difficulties is nothing new, but shouldn’t processing companies expect this to happen since Brexit and source markets outside the EU? Or, better yet, within the EU to replace the previously lucrative UK market?” O’Connell added.
ICMSA
The ICMSA livestock chief believes factories have a “portfolio of spare profits” with which they can easily pay farmers.
“Our base price today is more than €1/kg lower than the base price for beef in 2025. How are farmers supposed to survive after restocking in 2025 at prices €1/kg higher than what is being offered now?
He said, “What was beneficial to farmers last year will be lost this year, so we are back to square one, and the factories know this very well.”
“Most plants have been reduced to three to four days a week, which suggests they are trying to increase the limited availability of livestock suitable for slaughter,” O’Connell claimed.
“I would urge farmers to ‘play smart’ for as long as possible and think sensibly about their options before giving in to factories.
“We don’t think the livestock are there; the numbers have shown a decline in available livestock over the past three years, but we will move forward,” he said. “Don’t panic and look at all options, including markets.”
