The beef trade remains unchanged bar the fact that throughput has lifted again.

Last week’s kill was recorded at 33,637 head, a rise of 548 on the previous week. This stemmed from slight increases in steer and heifer throughput, with bull throughput steady at 5,957. Bull throughput is the difference in the kill running ahead of the corresponding week in 2015 with a kill of 31,893 head.

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There is no change in prices, with steers continuing to trade at a base of €3.90/kg. This is for animals under 36 months of age and less than 420kg carcase weight. Penalties of 10c/kg to 20c/kg are being imposed for animals killing in excess of 420kg carcase weight with the greatest cuts for steers factories deem overweight and overage. In some of these cases, plants are refusing to purchase animals on the grid and instead offering a flat price of €3.60/kg to €3.80/kg. Flat-priced deals for O grade Friesian steers under 30 months of age range from €3.70/kg to €3.85/kg. O grade Hereford and Angus steers are commanding up to €4.00/kg in flat-priced deals.

A small number of sellers report greater difficulty in securing a base of €4.05/kg for heifers, with a base price of €4.00/kg on offer. Prices are split evenly between the two bases, with small numbers of heifers at the top end of the market trading at a base of €4.08/kg to €4.10/kg. Flat-priced deals for O grade Angus and Hereford heifers range from €3.95/kg to €4.10/kg with O=/+ grade heifers selling best.

Bulls steady

Bull prices can be best described as an average of €3.70 for Os, €3.80 for Rs and €3.90 for Us. Weight remains an important consideration in price, although there is variability between plants and even within plants depending on the type of animals offered and the producer-processor relationship. Many plants are imposing penalties of 10c/kg for bulls killing over 420kg to 430kg. Sellers with long-standing relationships or producing higher numbers have in cases negotiated up to 450kg carcase weight and higher where only small numbers are deemed overweight. Bulls less than 16 months of age and trading on the grid are moving at a base price of €3.85/kg to €3.90/kg, with some plants trying to impose a lower carcase weight limit of 400kg.

More life for cows

The mart remains a good sales outlet for farmers struggling to negotiate with factories (see MartWatch, page 60). This is evident for slaughter-fit and store cows with the latter meeting increased demand in recent weeks. P+3 grade cows are trading from €2.95/kg to €3.10/kg. O grades are selling from €3.10/kg to €3.20/kg. While there is more bite in the trade, agents are restricting any price increase. There is room to negotiate on larger numbers, with some sellers securing a flat price of €3.15/kg to €3.20/kg for mixed lots of P+3 and O grade Friesians. O grade continental cows are trading to €3.30/kg, while R grades are selling to €3.40/kg and higher for young, heavy-carcase cows. U grades are selling at the top of the market to €3.50/kg to €3.55/kg. Listen to an interview with Joe Burke on the beef market outlook in our podcast below:

NI trade steady

Like the south, the Northern trade is steady with a U-3 base of £3.12/kg to £3.14/kg on offer. Exchange rates have stabilised at around 76p to the euro, leaving prices at the equivalent of €4.31/kg to €4.34/kg including VAT. The weekly kill reduced slightly from 6,370 to 6,251, with cow throughput reducing by about 60 head to 1,935. British prices are also unchanged at an R4l base of £3.40/kg to £3.42/kg with the trade described as remaining under some pressure.