Week ending 28 June 2026 (latest available) — Cattle & Sheep Throughput | Source: DAFM
| Week ending | Cattle kill (head) | vs same week 2025 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 2026 | 23,863 | −9.5% | Latest — lowest weekly kill in almost 12 months. Steers 8,345 · Heifers 6,556 · Cows 6,103 · Y Bulls 2,402 |
| 21 Jun 2026 | 27,200 | −9.3% | Supply easing back sharply |
| 14 Jun 2026 | 29,133 | −9.3% | Kill steady, demand still soft |
| 07 Jun 2026 | 29,986 | −10.0% | Steers 11,932 · Heifers 9,055 · Bulls 2,430 · Cows 5,930 |
| 30 May 2026 | 30,261 | −11.2% | Soft trade, weak demand |
| YTD (to 28 Jun) | 788,994 | −9.5% | vs 871,970 in 2025 (−82,976 head) |
Kill is running significantly below 2025 — down 82,976 head year-to-date — and the w/e 28 June kill was the lowest weekly throughput in almost 12 months. Factories are struggling to fill weekly orders and paying up to 20c/kg above quotes (IFA). Live cattle exports for 2026 stand at 228,028 head (down from 265,844 in 2025). DAFM Beef Price Watch is the official source for weekly throughput data.
| Category | Latest week |
|---|---|
| Spring lambs | 30,165 |
| Lambs / hoggets | 1,957 |
| Ewes & rams | 5,124 |
| Total sheep (w/e 26 Jun) | 37,246 |
| YTD vs 2025 | +4,388 head |
Spring lamb kill has taken over from hoggets. Total sheep YTD is marginally ahead of 2025 (+4,388 head to 1,009,016). Source: DAFM WK28.
| Export metric | Latest |
|---|---|
| Irish beef exports (2025) | ~520,000 t |
| Main market: UK | ~50% |
| EU markets | ~25% |
| Non-EU third countries | ~25% |
| EU R3 young bull avg | 661c/kg |
Irish beef is 85–90% exported. UK market dependency means exchange rate and UK demand directly affect farm gate prices in Ireland.
| Kill trend | Supply signal | Likely price effect |
|---|---|---|
| Kill significantly down vs last year | Fewer cattle coming forward | Price-positive — less supply |
| Kill significantly up vs last year | More cattle on market | Price-negative — factories can be picky |
| Kill normal / steady | Supply in line with demand | Neutral — prices driven by demand |
| Kill down in Q1, up in Q4 | Seasonal throughput shift | Typical pattern — winter housing drives Q4 kill |
A −9.5% YTD kill (as in 2026) is strongly price-supportive on the supply side — and since late June it has been doing exactly that: quotes rose ~20c/kg in a fortnight as the weekly kill fell to its lowest in almost 12 months.
DAFM Beef Price Watch (BPW) is the official weekly throughput source. Updated every Monday morning. Bord Bia publishes composite price and EU comparison data.