The beef trade remains steady this week, with prices relatively unchanged from last week.

Heifers are generally trading at €3.85/kg, with a few paying €3.90/kg when pushed. This is generally to larger, regular suppliers.

Bullocks are being quoted at €3.80/kg, again with a few paying 5c/kg extra when pressure is applied. This is sometimes where heifers are involved in the same deal.

No cuts on heavy carcasses is also being used as a bargaining tool by factories to get cattle.

There is a little more life in the cow trade this week, with a few specialist cow processors having to increase quotes to get supplies.

Good-quality cows are especially sought after, but all grades have seen a little lift.

P grading cows have moved up to €3.10/kg to €3.15/kg, with O grades moving to €3.15/kg to €3.20/kg.

Top-quality well-finished suckler cows are reaching as high as €3.55/kg in some factories.

There is a very healthy live trade driven by NI customers for these animals in marts, with as high as €2.20/kg liveweight being paid for heavy cows over 800kg.

Bull trade

The bull trade is also moving well, with as high as €3.90/kg being paid for U grading under-24-month bulls. R grading bulls are moving at €3.70/kg to €3.80/kg and under-16-month bulls are being quoted at €3.70/kg to €3.75/kg base price.

Weight limits are an important consideration in bulls and no cuts being applied for heavy carcases is an added bonus to bull producers.

The shortage in finished cattle supplies has shifted factory agents into marts, with five very active factories now competing for supplies in marts all over the country.

The prices being paid is causing confusion and anger for beef finishers, with many questioning the factories’ ability to pay over the odds in marts while refusing to increase quotes to farmers.

This is especially evident in the cow trade, with some very high prices being paid by southern factories at a number of finished cattle sales in the last week.

IFA livestock chair Brendan Golden said: “The increased demand from factories is being fuelled by increased retail demand in the UK, with retailers reporting record sales of beef in the 12 weeks up to 31 December.”

Last week’s kill came in at 31,383, dropping 607 head on the previous week and the third week in a row the kill has dropped in 2021.

Across the water, the AHDB reports that the beef price has increased in the last few weeks.

The latest data for week ending 16 January 2021 shows that R4L steers have moved up to €4.51/kg, an increase of 7c/kg on the previous week.

That means the current price differential between Ireland and the UK for a 350kg R grading steer is €175/head.

The English beef price is currently running 54c/kg ahead of the same period last year and running 39c/kg ahead of the five-year average.

NI comment

Beef prices have steadied in Northern Ireland, with factories leaving quotes unchanged on 378p/kg (€4.52p/kg inc VAT) for U-3 grading animals. In-spec steers and young bulls are moving from a base of 384p/kg (€4.59/kg), with 4p/kg more on offer to regular finishers.

Heifers are commanding 388p to 394p/kg (€4.64/kg to €4.71/kg), with the higher prices on offer to larger supplies. Cull cows are an improving trade, with deals of 300p to 320p/kg available (€3.59 to €3.83/kg).