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There is no joy again this week for beef finishers, with prices stuck at a base of €3.90/kg for steers while heifers are trading in the main at a base of €4.00/kg to €4.05/kg. Small numbers of choice lots are trading for 3c/kg to 5c/kg extra, with frequent sellers having the most negotiating power. Supplies remain at a high level, allowing factories to keep in control of the trade.
Meanwhile, the mart trade is reported as improving week-on-week, with grass buyers starting to appear. Beef finishers going out to replace stock report a high percentage of cattle slaughtered in recent weeks, at best covering costs. They are, however, faced with competition from farmers looking to source cattle earlier to take advantage of good grass supplies, that is, if weather finally improves, while factory agents are also active at the ringside to replenish feedlot supplies. ABP agents in particular have been active in recent weeks for forward stores and reports suggest they are also starting to compete for calves.
Bulls and cows unchanged
Looking at the bull trade, prices remain unchanged, with R grades moving from €3.80/kg to €3.85/kg and U grades from €3.85/kg to €3.90/kg. Friesian bulls are trading at €3.70/kg for fleshed O=/+ grades with R grades making 5c/kg to 10c/kg more. Weight limits remain variable and are mostly being implemented at 420kg carcase weight with a 10c/kg cut for bulls over 420kg to 430kg. Some sellers are getting away to higher weights. Bulls less than 16 months old are selling from a base of €3.85/kg to €3.90/kg. This excludes the 12c/kg QPS bonus for in-spec lots.
The live cow trade continues to provide a good alternative to sellers struggling to negotiate the higher prices with factories. P+3 and O grading cows are trading from €2.90/kg to €3.00/kg and €3.05/kg to €3.20/kg respectively. There is more bite for good-quality continental cows, with R grades in general moving from €3.30/kg to €3.40/kg but rising 10c/kg for heavy fleshed cows; U grades are trading to €3.55/kg.
UK round-up
The Northern trade is also steady, with steers and heifers being offered a U-3 base of £3.12/kg and £3.14/kg respectively (€4.31/kg to €4.34/kg including VAT). Quotes vary up or down by 1p/kg to 2p/kg in some plants, with choice lots ticking all the boxes on spec and traded by frequent sellers having a better chance of securing extra.
British prices steadied last week. Average steer prices eased by 1p/kg while heifers increased 0.5p/kg, with both prices recorded by AHDB at £3.41/kg or the equivalent of €4.71/kg. Analysis by the organisation in its weekly market bulletin points to British steers being 33p/kg more expensive than Irish steers, heifers 28p/kg more expensive and bulls 15p/kg dearer. Cows on the other hand are 20p/kg dearer in Ireland, taking a price of €3.10 /kg for O grades.
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