Beef market moves in two directions

The European beef market shows a mixed picture. In the higher segment, the prices remain strong, while the prices for dairy cows in continental Europe are under pressure. Ireland is an exception; beef prices there are still rising across the board. The market for dairy cows remains under pressure. Especially in Germany and Denmark, visible pressure was apparent on the meat of cows of O quality up to week 42, according to data from Eurostat. In the Netherlands and Germany, the price remained stable up to that point. The downward pressure on dairy cow prices continues. In Germany, the quotation for O quality cows decreased again this week by €0.15 per kilo. Compared to three weeks ago, the decline amounts to 7.9%, from €6.30 to €5.80 per kilo of carcass weight. The Dutch Livestock & Logistics quotation also fell this week, in line with price developments in Germany. This aligns the quotation better with the current situation in the physical market. In recent weeks, slaughterhouses have already lowered their payment prices, but this has not yet been reflected in the quotation. Luxury cattle remain expensive Meanwhile, the prices of more luxurious cattle remain steady. In Germany, for instance, the VEZG quoted the young bulls of R quality again at a level of €7 per kilo. This situation applies to almost all of Europe. The supply of beef cattle is still smaller than the demand. Only R quality cows are under pressure in some countries, due to the lower prices of competing O quality. This is also evident from the Dutch Livestock & Logistics quotation, where R quality shows a smaller drop of €0.10, while U quality remains stable at €7 per kilo. A similar picture is visible with S quality cattle. This top class is rarely quoted, but figures from the Belgian Ministry of Agriculture indicate that prices remain at a high level. There has been no clear price decline in the Belgian market. The quotations have remained stable there in recent weeks. Irish prices continue to rise In the meantime, prices in the Irish market continue to increase significantly. In the past three weeks, the quotations in the country increased by 12% to €635.35 per 100 kilos of carcass weight. This is remarkable, especially in light of the downward trend in most European markets. The sustained price increase in Ireland is primarily due to the tight beef market. According to the latest count from October 20, 29,873 cattle were slaughtered, a decrease of 25.9% compared to a year earlier. On average, the decline over the past twelve weeks has been at a similar level. Due to the high slaughter pace in the first half of the year, the difference with 2024 is now smaller, but for the whole of 2025, the number of slaughterings is still 9.7% lower. The tightness in the market is therefore significant. In some cases, the payment price is well above the official quotations. For O+ quality cows, local payments reach up to about €8 per kilo. Market sources also report that Christmas orders are slowly coming in, further boosting demand.