Beef quotes remain very steady this week, with some slight improvement in some locations.

A number of factories that were still trying to buy bullocks at €5.20/kg last week have had to amend their quotes upwards this week in order to get cattle.

Most bullocks were being bought at €5.25/kg on Monday .

Heifers were moving at €5.30/kg, with higher quotes going to those with numbers.

Foyle Meats in Donegal is still top of the pile with its quote of €5.30/kg for bullocks killing out at 300-400kg and €5.35/kg for heifers killing out at 300-400kg.

There is still very good appetite for Aberdeen Angus bullocks and heifers, with a 30c/kg bonus on the table for in-spec cattle.

Hereford cattle are also in demand, with bonuses of 10-15c/kg on the table for bullocks and heifers.

In light of dwindling supplies, some factories have dropped the number of days they are killing each week for the next few weeks.

Public holidays over Easter will see a number of days dropped in three to four weeks’ time, with some planned “down days” also in the mix for this week and next.

Increased energy costs mean factories need a certain level of cattle throughput to cover costs.

Young bulls

The top price in the young bull market is still coming in at €5.40-5.50/kg for U grades, with €5.30-5.40/kg on the table for well-fleshed R grades.

P and O grading bulls are being bought at €5.00-5.10/kg and €5.10-5.20/kg, respectively.

Bulls under 16 months old are being bought at €5.20-5.30/kg (the base price on the grid).

Foyle Meats has also increased the bonus being paid on under-16-month bulls to 16c/kg, a rise of 4c/kg.

There is a huge variation in prices quoted for older stock bulls, with some factories quoting as low as €3.50/kg, while others are quoting up to €4.50/kg for well-fleshed heavy bulls.

Cows

P3 cows are working off €4.60/kg, with O grading cows coming in at €4.70-4.80/kg.

R grading cows are generally being quoted at €4.90-5.00/kg, with U grading cows now moving at €5.10-5.20/kg.

Northern Ireland

Across the border, beef prices continue to strengthen, with agents very hungry for cattle.

This, coupled with a tightness in numbers of finished cattle on farms and larger finishing units, has seen prices move up by 4-6p/kg last week.

Britain

Across the water in Britain, prices have also risen on the back of increased demand and tightening supplies.

R4L heifers broke the £5/kg (€6/kg incl VAT) barrier last week and prices are expected to kick on more this week.

Manufacturing beef and mince sales are extremely strong in the trade, with some recovery also being seen in steak and roasting joint sales on the back of some supermarket promotions.