Factories are playing their cards close to their chest this week with not many giving any indication of where quotes are going over the next month.
This week’s quotes steadied after a fortnight of talking down the trade.
Bullocks are working off a base price of €6.60/kg in the main while heifers are working off a base price of €6.70/kg.
Factory agents remain active for stock with many still active in marts buying slaughter-fit cattle. Cows have eased a little with P+3 cows hovering around the €5.90-€6.00/kg mark.
Quotes across the water continue to edge upwards with in spec R4L bullocks coming into 650p/kg (€8.18/kg, including VAT) this week.
That leaves the UK/Irish gap at over €1/kg.
Retail purchases are driving beef demand with supermarkets buying ahead of some big promotional activity in the run up to the Christmas holiday period.
