This year's beef kill-to-date is down for the ninth consecutive week in comparison to last year's figures.

The beef kill-to-date has fallen to a new low for the 2025 season as the week ending Sunday June 6 only recorded a total kill of 26,985 at Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)-approved factories.

This represents a drop of over 2,000 head of cattle processed compared to the previous week.

The weekly beef kill has not surpassed 30,000 head since the last week of April.

Prices were in consecutive decline for the whole month of June but some processors halted their price cuts in the last week of June.

Heifer and steer kills have been strong this year to date, but are expected to fall below the cumulative supplies from last year as this year progresses.

While prices have fallen since peak, there remains a large degree of optimism in the beef trade with prices remaining well above last year and trade forecasts continuing to look positive.

Dawn Meats Group development manager, Paul Nolan recently said at the Moorepark open day that he is confident in a steady market as scarcity kicks in due to a deficit in global supply and demand.

With the peak volumes of grass cattle still over two months away, and marts getting smaller by the weeks, processors will be anxious for agents to secure adequate supplies over the summer.

However, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) recently blasted meat processors, saying they “should be ashamed” of the factory quotes currently on offer.

ICMSA Livestock Committee chairperson Michael O’Connell said processors have tried to “pull the wool over farmers' eyes” by quoting lower prices than what is available.

In the meantime, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) have been advising farmers to “sell hard”.

According to IFA National Livestock Committee chair Declan Hanrahan, factories are “actively looking for cattle, and giving more than what they are quoting”.