A series of budgets for different beef systems with guide costings and the breakeven beef price required for farmers has been published by Teagasc.

These figures are made available on an annual basis by Teagasc and are merely guideline costings.

Farmers are encouraged to do up their own budgets with costs relevant to their own systems.

The break even price is used because different farmers will have different expectations on the profit margin expected from the system and the required margin can be added in to identify the price per kilo required.

The gallery below details guideline costings and the break-even beef prices required for six different beef finishing systems:

Looking at the forward store to beef data, based on the above costings and assuming a purchase price of €4.74/kg for a 520kg continental steer, the breakeven selling price would be €7.91/kg.

The data also indicates the significant impact purchase price will have on the breakeven price required.

Interestingly, breakeven prices required in the heifer system are higher than those required for the steer system with purchase price per kg live weight higher for dairy-beef heifers than for their steer counter parts.

Based on the Teagasc figures, the system that will require the highest price to breakeven is the six month finish for under-16-month continental bull beef.

This has a breakeven price of €8.76/kg required, it is followed by continental forward-store heifer to beef systems with a breakeven price of €8.41/kg needed.