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The weekly kill is bucking the trend for the time of year, with throughput actually increasing 510 head to 35,453.
The higher kill was not anticipated by many agents and procurement personnel in some factories, who are reporting cattle supplies being marginally tighter in recent days.
It appears the reason for this is possibly lower numbers passing through normal supply channels, the last of grass cattle being traded and higher numbers starting to come on stream from specialised feeders (working closely with some plants) and the factories’ own feedlots.
Whichever the source, the net result for the majority of farmers producing without any supply arrangement is static prices.
Steers are trading in general on a base of €3.70/kg, with heifers on a base of €3.80/kg.
Finishers with greater negotiating power and trading at the higher end of the market are securing an extra 5c/kg, but exceeding this level is proving difficult.
The higher prices are also being paid for cattle ticking all the boxes on specification.
Heavy carcases are less of an issue, with cattle being killed on average at a younger age.
However, where very heavy or overage cattle are being traded, they range from securing similar prices, if sold as part of a larger batch of in-spec cattle, to facing 10c/kg to 20c/kg lower returns.
Higher bull kill
Bull throughput rising 714 head to 4,323 is also adding to the higher weekly kill.
Some sellers are finding it harder to secure prices at the top of the market, with U grades trading in the main from €3.80/kg to €3.85/kg and only small numbers rising to €3.90/kg.
Rs are selling from €3.70/kg to €3.75/kg and 5c/kg higher in cases.
There is a wide range on dairy bull prices reported, ranging anywhere from €3.55/kg to €3.65/kg, with 5c/kg higher paid to some large finishers for O=/+ grading bulls.
Bulls less than 16 months are trading off a base of €3.70/kg, with small numbers at a base of €3.75/kg.
The cow trade is steady, with a wide differential remaining between plants.
P+3 grades are selling from €2.90/kg to €3.05/kg, with O grades from €3.00/kg to €3.15/kg.
R grades are moving from €3.10/kg to €3.25/kg at the top of the market, with U grades to €3.30/kg to €3.40/kg in plants active in the cow trade.
NI trade steady
Most northern plants are quoting a U3- base of £3.46/kg to £3.48/kg (€4.27/kg to €4.30/kg).
Sellers with numbers on hand continue to have room to negotiate higher, with prices into the mid-£3.50s widely reported.
Specialist producers with supply arrangements are in an even better selling position.
Demand is strong, with the kill steady at 6,566 head, over 500 above the same week in 2015 and driven by fewer imports from the south.
The cow kill remains higher, at 2,555 head, with O grades trading from £2.45/kg to £2.60/kg (€3.04/kg to €3.21/kg).
British prices are solid, with R4L steers and heifers rising by 1p to 2p/kg over the last 10 days. These are trading from £3.65/kg to £3.70/kg (€4.51/kg to €4.57/kg), with prices stronger in Scotland and north England.
The prime kill is steady at about 35,000, with cows still running ahead of last year at over 14,000 head. Cow prices are steady at £2.20/kg to £2.30/kg (€2.80/kg).
Listen to a discussion of the beef price outlook for 2017 with Paul Nolan, group development manager at Dawn Meats, in our podcast below:
Listen to "Outlook for Irish beef exports in 2017" on Spreaker.
Northern view: tighter numbers sees base beef price hit 350p/kg
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