Demand for Irish calf exports was driven by "smaller EU cattle and disease issues" last year, Bord Bia's beef sector manager, said today (Friday, January 16).

According to Mark Zieg "more stronger beef sired calves" wereexported to Spain and Eastern Europe in particular.

He said despite a 5% decline in volumes last year there was "impressive growth" of 24% in the value of Irish beef exports last year.

The total value of beef exports was €3.4 billion in 2025 with the strongest growth coming from the UK market which was worth €1.6 billion last year to Irish exporters.

Bord Bia's beef sector manager did highlight that the UK is seeing increasing volumes of "non-EU imports" and that Australia gained most traction in the market last year with 83% growth in the year to October.

International market trade however, according to Zieg, was "a little more difficult in the high-priced European market" as volumes declined by 17% in 2025.

Both Brazil and Australia increased their share of imports in the important European market last year.

However the continental EU market still saw upbeat demand from Ireland with volumes up 28%.

Speaking today at Bord Bia's annual Meat Market Seminar which provides insight into global markets and future prospects Zieg said that in 2025 "overall, European countries were taking in more Irish products".

But he warned that while Ireland enjoyed record export value and cattle prices in 2025 there may be challenges ahead.

Zieg said there is "increasing pressure from global importers as high prices attract interest".

According to Zieg when it came to throughput it was a "year of two halves".

He outlined to the audience at the well attended Bord Bia event in Co. Laois today that in the second half overall throughput was up by a couple of percent but the cattle that were coming in younger were not evident in the second half of the year.

Overall Zieg he said looking back on 2025 there was "less prime cattle, steers down nearly 10%, cows down 20% and overall down 11.7%".

Cattle prices

It would have come to no surprise to anyone in the audience today to hear Bord Bia's beef sector manager reiterate the position on "really strong" cattle prices last year.

But Zieg also highlighted that 2025 total kill was back 213,000 head and this was driven by higher levels of live export.

The forecast for 2026 is for total kill to be in the region of 1.56 to 1.6 million head.

One key trend that Bord Bia's beef sector manager identified today was in relation to the fact that chicken "is growing quicker" in some markets than beef.

According to Zieg there is "consumer and customer resistence" to higher prices.