Watch: Catch up at the mart - farmers on the factors behind prices
It has been a slightly lacklustre year for trade so far at marts across the country compared to the prices that farmers were getting for their cattle in 2025.
Agriland was in Co. Wicklow to hear from farmers about the factors that they think are impacting on trade at Blessington Mart's general cattle sale yesterday (June 18).
One farmer, who was in the mart hoping to buy some store cattle, outlined to us that buying stock is a different experience to selling in the current market.
"There's some money in store cattle at the minute if you're selling them, not when you're buying them though," he said.
When asked how trade compared to last year, the farmer did not mince his words.
"Trade is desperate; anyone who bought cattle there last October is losing a solid fortune."
He also claimed that factories may be recovering margins after paying high prices at sales last year.
"Maybe factories paid a lot of money this time last year, but they're getting their money back, hand over fist."
Another farmer agreed that cattle prices have certainly eased back.
"Cattle this time last year, you were getting €7 or €8/kg, now you are lucky to get €6/kg."
A separate mart-goer also described the current cattle in a similar light, noting it as "not great" and "no comparison" compared to prices seen last year.
When asked what they think is driving trade, several farmers told Agriland that they reckoned it is down to an "oversupply" of cattle this year.
Mart trade
However, not everyone in attendance was so downbeat.
A beef and sheep farmer said that trade is "good" in his eyes.
While acknowledging that current trade may prefer the seller over the buyer, the farmer believed that "money has to go around in circles" when it comes to marts.
One farmer felt that beef prices are linked to global production levels.
"It's down to the demand and supply in the world; there's droughts going on around the world, the likes of America and Australia.
"You take the sheep as well, far less people breeding sheep in the world, out in Australia and that's due to drought."
Bord Bia
Punters around the ring were also talking about the recent governance review of the board of Bord Bia which endorsed the chair, Larry Murrin.
The review of the board had been commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and was part of the agreement that ended weeks of protests by the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) at Bord Bia headquarters earlier this year.
One mart-goer told Agriland that he did not disagree with the review's verdict.
"It was an absolute cod [to begin with]," the farmer said about the Bord Bia saga.
"I wouldn't have gone through with the whole protest; what difference was it going to make?"
"Why bite the hand that feeds you? Our beef price has gone down ever since then," he added.
Weather
While recent weather has frustrated some farmers, others said that conditions have been manageable.
"The weather's not so bad; all the silage has been made and now we're waiting for the second cut," one farmer commented.
An organic farmer, who is operating a three-cut red clover silage system, described the season so far as a bit of a mixed bag.
"There was a little bit of growth at the start, then we were in a moisture deficit, so there was no growth; and then it went back to being wet and cold."
He told Agriland that he opted to make first-cut silage during the dry spell around the end of May.
"There wasn't a whole pile, but in my opinion, it's always the right decision to take the first cut earlier and in fairness it's growing back good," the organic farmer added.
Additional reporting done by Thomas Maher.
