The beef trade has continued to kick on this week, with another 10c/kg added to base quotes in a lot of locations.

Bullocks have moved up to €6.40/kg in a number of processors, with €6.50/kg now also on the table as a base price for heifers.

Some farmers who are dealing in higher numbers have been able to get 10c/kg more than the quoted prices above.

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Flat prices of €7/kg are now available for in-spec Aberdeen Angus bullocks and heifers, with flat quotes lifting over 20c/kg in the last week.

Factory agents are finding it difficult to source sufficient numbers of finished cattle and have moved to marts to try to source sufficient numbers for their weekly supplies.

Some factories have even reduced the number of days they are killing this week in a bid to stretch out the scarce supplies.

Prices being paid have raised a few eyebrows around mart rings, with heavy cattle weighing between 700kg and 800kg selling for over €4/kg in a lot of cases this week.

Factories have overdone it in terms of price cuts and questions have to be asked about the spin that was pedalled in the last few weeks around factory chills being full and beef wasn’t wanted – the market was that bad.

Beef has risen by 30c to 40c/kg in the last few weeks, hardly a sign of chills being full.

It goes back to one of the biggest issues we have in the beef industry and that’s trust and transparency.

Factories demonstrated no mercy in the price cuts that occurred since January and have only now raised quotes when their backs were to the walls for supplies.

It’s the age-old problem; factories will buy cattle as cheap as they can whenever they can.

A lift in prices has also injected some life into the mart trade, with forward stores lifting over the last few days.

Cows

R grading cows are being priced around €6.10/kg to €6.20/kg, with more going to those with numbers.

U grading cows are now being bought at €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg, with higher prices going to regular cow sellers and specialist feeders.

O grading cows are being bought for around €6.00/kg to €6.10/kg. P+3 cows are coming in at €5.90/kg to €6/kg.

Some of the specialist cow producers have been able to squeeze a €6/kg flat price for mixes of O and P grading dairy cows this week. Fleshed Friesian cows have hit €3/kg this week in marts.

Bulls

R grading bulls are coming in at €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg, with U grading bulls being quoted at €6.50/kg to €6.60/kg, depending on numbers and type.

O grading bulls are working off an all-in price of €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg, while P grading bulls are being quoted at €6.10/kg to €6.20/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Over-age bulls are generally working off a price of €6.10/kg to €6.30/kg, depending on grades and flesh cover. Under-16-month bulls are working off a €6.30/kg base price on the grid.

Cattle kill

The big story this week has been the huge drop-off in supply over the last seven days. The previous week’s kill dropped by 2,800 head, followed by last week’s kill dropping by 3,336 – one of the biggest drops of the year to date.

The biggest fall came in the bullock kill, with 1,700 fewer bullocks killed last week. The cow kill was the only stock category that held steady last week at 6,103 cows, with all other categories seeing big reductions.

Bord Bia is predicting a recovery, but that isn’t likely to happen until the back end.

Prices have also hardened in Northern Ireland with agents and wholesalers active in mart rings in the south over the last few days with some exceptional prices paid for heavy cows.