The beef trade remains in a steady position this week, with quotes relatively unchanged from last week’s prices.

Bullocks are working off €4.60/kg, with €4.65/kg being paid in some instances where numbers are involved.

Heifers are generally working off 5c/kg more than bullocks, with a lot of heifers being bought at €4.65/kg.

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Agents are very active for stock, with no delays in getting cattle killed in the last week.

Bulls

The bull trade also remains firm this week, with up to €4.90/kg being paid to a few specialised bull finishers for U grading under-24-month bulls.

R grading bulls are being quoted at €4.70/kg to €4.80/kg, with a little more going to regular suppliers and those with numbers.

O and P grading bulls are trading at 5c to 15c/kg less than this, with fat cover being a big determinant on price for some of the poorer-quality bulls.

The manufacturing trade also remains strong, with good demand for fleshed cows from all factories this week.

Well-fleshed P+3 cows continue to trade at €3.70/kg to €3.80/kg, depending on weight and quality.

O grading cows are working off €3.90/kg to €4.00/kg, while good R grading cows are coming in at €4.10/kg to €4.20/kg.

U grading cows are being quoted as high as €4.40/kg to €4.50/kg in some factories which are anxious for cows.

NI buyers

Northern buyers, on the back of tight supplies in Northern Ireland and across the water, were out in force in marts over the last week stocking up for the next few months.

Having been very quiet over the last few months, they have added some spark to the mart trade, with a few good customers very hungry for short-keep stock.

Southern feeders have also returned to the ringside, with forward stores in demand again. The trade for these cattle saw a lift in the last two weeks on the back of this increased demand.

Prices across the water have trended upwards in the last few days on the back of reduced numbers of finished cattle being presented for slaughter.

The British R3 bullock price is now 67c/kg ahead of the Irish price. This is the equivalent of almost €270/head based on a 400kg carcase.

Kill figures

Last week’s kill came in at 34,504, which is some 200 head down on the previous week, but staying pretty steady for the time of year.

The end of August is always a delicate time, with a lot of cattle coming close to 30 months, but this year we appear to be getting across this hump without any pressure on quotes.

Speaking to agents, a tough summer in the west and other parts of the country has meant cattle have been housed early for finishing and no grass glut is expected over the next few weeks.

Looking at the kill so far this year, numbers are down almost 40,000 head compared with 2022. Last week’s kill was over 1,300 head lower than the same week in 2022.

Irish Farmers’ Association livestock chair Brendan Golden said: “Farmers should strongly resist any attempts by factories to buy cattle at lower quotes and consider the mart outlet, where prices for forward store and finished cattle are proving competitive with factory quotes.”

NI comment

There are plenty of positives in the beef trade in Northern Ireland this week, despite base quotes being unchanged on 446p/kg (€5.46/kg inc VAT) for U-3 grading animals.

Cattle numbers have tightened and factories are eager to lock in supplies for the week ahead.

Prices are slowly creeping upwards, with deals in the region of 464p/kg (€5.68/kg) for the main run of steers and heifers, while cows are making 355p/kg (€4.35/kg) for suckler-bred animals.