Producers offload herds as drought and high rates batter the industry. Beef costs have risen faster than most other items in the consumer price index, with the broad beef and veal category up 15% over the past year as of January. Uncooked ground beef reached a fresh record after soaring by the most since June 2020 in government data released Friday. The gains are a standout from the rest of the consumer grocery basket where things have broadly improved. Chicken prices rose only by 1.1% in the past 12 months, while milk was little changed.

Source: Irish Independent February 16, 2026 19:13 UTC