The beef trade appears to have levelled off somewhat in the last week.

Factory agents are still eager to source steers and heifers, with prices unchanged.

A high percentage of steers are trading on a base of €3.90/kg to €3.95/kg, with select deals completed at the top of the market on a base of €4.00/kg.

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Heifers are similar, with the majority trading on a base of €4.00/kg to €4.05/kg, while there are some sellers with greater negotiating power securing a base of €4.10/kg or slightly higher.

Bulls

The number of bulls coming on to the market has rebounded as more bulls finished in an under 16 month system come on stream. Reports suggest factories are more reluctant in matching last week’s price with some finishers reporting being quoted a 5c/kg lower base price. The general base price quoted is €3.80/kg to €3.85/kg with some specialist finishers finding it more difficult to secure last week’s price of €3.90/kg.

This is generating anger among some finishers who are already seeing a weaker trade in comparison to steers. There has effectively being 5c/kg to 10c/kg eroded of the value of bulls finished in an under 16 month system in recent months with the base price being quoted traditionally on an equal footing to steers.

Bulls aged over 16 months but less than 24 months are trading from €3.80/kg to €3.90/kg for U grades with R grades 5c/kg to 10c/kg lower. Meanwhile O grading bulls are trading from €3.50/kg to €3.60/kg. A word of caution on these Friesian bulls is that factories are a bit stickier on fat cover. There are still significant numbers of bulls aged over 24 months processed each week with prices trending anywhere from equivalent to those mentioned above to 20c/kg to 30c/kg lower. This is being influenced by the producer-processor relationship and also on the carcase weight of bulls in question.

The cow trade is steady with factories happy to handle the gradual increase in numbers coming onto the market. P+3 grading cows range from €3.00/kg to €3.05/kg while O grades range from €3.15/kg to €3.25/kg. A high percentage of R grades are selling from €3.30/kg to €3.35/kg with top prices 5c/kg to 10c/kg higher. Likewise U grades, which are small in number, range from €3.30/kg to €3.50/kg or slightly higher.