Factory agents are scouring the country in search of finished cattle this week. Cows have been the biggest winner of the current shortage in supplies with quotes up again this week.

Specialised feeders have been able to squeeze €5/kg for well-fleshed suckler cows from wholesalers this week with all grades taking a lift. The prime cattle trade also remains very solid with top quotes of €5.20/kg for bullocks and €5.25/kg for heifers this week.

A lot more is going to those with numbers, with factories very anxious do deals for larger lots. Flat prices for Aberdeen Angus heifers have hit €5.60/kg in some locations.

Sources within the industry also say that colder weather across the EU and UK has helped beef sales in the last fortnight with unprecedented demand for some cuts.

The British cow kill came in at 6,919 for the week ending 6 January, This is almost 1,000 fewer cows than the same week in 2023 and will help demand for Irish imports.

Looking further afield, the US Department of Agriculture has revised upwards China’s requirement for beef imports for 2024. It is predicting that China will require 3.55m tonnes of imported beef in 2024.

Much of this requirement will be filled by South American imports but this week’s announcement that Ireland has regained access to China is positive news for beef finishers. The USDA is also predicting that Brazil will export 2.975m tonnes in 2024, breaking last year’s all time record for beef exports.