Another good week of weather has been forecast for this week, which is bad news for the country's procurement managers.

Within factory circles, there was a thought that once the weather broke, more pressure could be applied to the beef price.

While the weather took a turn last week, prime beef quotes have stayed relatively stable.

Bullocks continue to move at quotes of €4.15/kg to €4.20/kg. Heifers are working off €4.20/kg to €4.25/kg. However, quotes of €4.25/kg for heifers appeared a little less common on Monday morning.

Cow quotes back

More dairy cows coming on stream in the south of the country has meant cow quotes are back a little this week, especially in the south.

P+3 cows have dropped back to between €3.40/kg and €3.50/kg with O grading cows coming in at €3.60/kg to €3.80/kg, again depending on flesh cover.

Cows lacking flesh coming in at a 1 on fat score are being bought as low as €3.00/kg to €3.20/kg in some cases.

Further north, cows don’t appear to be under as much pressure, with cow quotes coming in at similar prices to last week.

Suckler-bred cull cows continue to be a real solid trade, with R grading cows being quoted €3.90/kg, while U grading cows are coming in at €4.00/kg.

Prices being paid for finished cows in marts are in excess of what factories are willing to pay and farmers with small numbers are advised to head to the mart ring with them.

Bull trade

Bulls are working off €4.15/kg to €4.25/kg for R grading bulls, with 5c to 10c/kg extra going for U grading bulls.

Younger under-16-month bulls are working off €4.10/kg to €4.15/kg on the grid.

Supply chain disruption

Supply chain disruption continues to wreak havoc across the water in Britain, with the Irish Farmers Journal's Darren Carty reporting over the weekend that shipments of New Zealand lamb into the UK in the run-up to Christmas are expected to be down by over 50%.

This is good news for Irish lamb producers, who should now expect a positive few weeks ahead for lamb price.

Similar things are happening in beef supply chains, with British supermarkets not going to take any chances when it comes to Christmas supplies.

This has pointed them in the Irish direction and this will also mean positive news for Irish beef finishers in the coming months.