ICSA Beef Committee spokesperson Edmund Graham has said that beef price cuts in recent months have hit farmers hard and prices are not recovering fast enough, with no guarantee they ever will. "The drop-off in beef prices is disgraceful. Despite reports of modest price firming in recent weeks, farmers are still being forced to accept prices that do not cover the cost of production. In many cases, this means farmers are selling cattle at a loss," he said.

 Continuing Mr Graham said, "Cattle prices have fallen by as much as €300 per head since late last year. No beef farmer can absorb losses like that and keep going. They are being driven out of business, plain and simple."

 Commenting on the latest CSO figures released this week which confirm that the number of cattle slaughtered in 2025 fell by 12% compared with the previous year, he said, "Despite this significant drop, processors appear to be doing everything they can to keep prices down, including ramping up imports to fill orders and undercut Irish producers. It's clear they are going to do everything in their power to keep prices from going back to anywhere near where they were last year."

 Concluding Mr Graham said, "Processors must stop treating farmers as a cost to be cut and start paying prices that reflect the true value and quality of Irish beef, or risk destroying the very industry they rely on."