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The beef trade continues to slowly harden, with steady but gradual increases of 1p to 2p/kg being offered on prime cattle week on week.
Processors still have access to sizeable volumes of chilled beef in cold storage. This is helping plants to manage throughput and avoid offering significant increases in beef price, as is the case in Britain.
However, supplies of prime cattle remain limited and cattle agents are keen to source numbers.
With more life in the beef trade, some plants have added 2p/kg to quotes, which puts U-3 cattle on a base of 332p to 338p/kg.
The live trade is being underpinned by strong demand from specialist finishers, who remain extremely active on short-keep animals and typically paying 200p/kg for U grading animals
Steers and suckler-bred bulls are generally moving at 340p/kg, with 2p to 4p/kg extra on offer for farmers selling more regularly.
Heifers are moving from 344p to 348p/kg, with deals over 350p/kg on offer at the top end of the market for larger numbers of cattle.
The live trade is being underpinned by strong demand from specialist finishers, who remain extremely active on short-keep animals and typically paying 200p/kg for U grading animals.
At a kill-out of 57%, this converts to a beef price of 350p/kg and provides an alternative outlet for farmers with limited selling power.
Last week, the average price paid on steers and heifers was 335.99p/kg, up by 1.2p/kg on the previous week.
The average price paid on U3 steers increased by 1p/kg to 342.2p/kg, with U3 heifers holding steady on 346.9p/kg.
Cows
While prime cattle quotes are slowly increasing, base prices on cull cows are rising quickly, with one plant adding 10p/kg to its quote this week.
Base prices for R3 grading animals are now on 260p/kg, but deals are running well ahead of this quote.
Last week, the price paid on R3 cows averaged 273.2p/kg.
Farmers indicate that cattle agents are very active on young continental cows, with deals above the 280p/kg mark on offer.
Hogget and lamb trade
With the supply of hoggets coming to an end and quality becoming extremely variable, the trade has weakened and quotes at the plants are down to 420p/kg. This makes a hogget worth £92.40 at the 22kg weight carcase limit.
Base quotes for spring lambs are also down, with plants on 470p/kg making new-season lambs worth £98.70 at 21kg. However, demand in the marts is firm and southern buyers are actively seeking stock, so deals will be available from the plants.
Massereene had a sale on Monday and hoggets ranged from 380p to 410p/kg, down by 20p/kg on last week. Paid prices on a per-head basis reached £95 for Dorsets at 23.5kg. Hoggets at 25kg sold to £92.50, with 27kg at £89. Spring lambs were a good trade and ranged from 450p to 485p/kg, which saw no change on the previous week. The top price per head was £114 and paid for top-quality Texels weighing 23.5kg, with other pens at £110 and £109. Lambs at 21kg made £97, with 20.5kg at £95.
In Swatragh, spring lambs sold to £103 for a pen of 25kg animals with £100 paid for 21.5kg.
Ewes
The fat ewe trade is still robust, with Massereene selling Suffolk animals to £100/head, Charollais to £98, Mules to £84 and Blackface to £61/head.
In Swatragh, fat ewes sold to a top price of £142, with many lots breaching the £100 mark. Breeding ewes with twin lambs sold to £238, with singles making £184.
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