Suckler beef farmers call for market stability
Suckler beef farmers attending a recent open day hosted by Fane Valley in Co. Derry pointed to the need for market stability within their sector.
William Hamilton manages a herd of 25 suckler cows with his father, also William, close to Donemana in Co. Tyrone.
He said: "Yes, beef prices are strong at the moment. But there is no guarantee this will remain the case.
“Beef farmers need a degree of certainty, where markets are concerned, as they plan for the future.”
Both Hamiltons point to the requirement for Ireland to secure a realistic Mercosur deal in order to maintain sustainable beef incomes across the island during the period ahead.
Getting to grips with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) was another of the issues discussed at the open day.
William Hamilton said: "In our own case, we are surrounded by a number of large dairy farms. So the likelihood of a bTB breakdown impacting on our locality is very strong.
“And that would be very bad news for our own business. We have committed to building up the quality of the herd over many years, driven by our own breeding programme.
“A severe bTB outbreak would mean that all of this hard work had counted for nothing.
“Something has to be done to resolve the tuberculosis problem as a matter of priority.
“The current measures are not working.”
The open day was held at the Fane Valley store, located close to the village of Claudy. It attracted a large turnout of farmers from the surrounding area.
Suckler herd owners in attendance confirmed that calves and cows had performed well throughout 2025.
Driving this was the constant availability of high quality grass throughout the spring and summer months.
Fane Valley store manager Gemma Parke commented: "We have had tremendous grass growth levels achieved on farms right through until the autumn.
“And beef farmers have benefitted accordingly. There is a tremendous demand for wormers and fluke products at the present time," Parke added.
Meanwhile, marts across Northern Ireland are gearing themselves up for the traditional fatstock shows and sales that so characterise the period from now up to Christmas.
And there is every prospect of record beef and lamb prices being set over the coming weeks.
This trend has already been set by recent commercial beef breeding sales, which were marked by an extremely strong demand for in-calf heifers of all breed types.
