There is more life in the beef trade this week, as supplies of prime cattle remain tight, putting farmers in a stronger position to negotiate on price.
With some plants struggling to meet throughput, cattle agents are more active in sourcing numbers, regularly contacting bigger finishers and dipping into the mart trade to bridge any gaps in supply.
Some processors are also directing buying agents and feedlot operators south of the border to source slaughter-fit cattle, along with short-keep animals for processing later in autumn.
Reports indicate northern buyers are sourcing stock direct from farms, as well as the live ring, south of the border.
With a marked increase in buying competition, Irish mart managers are openly canvassing for stock to satisfy the rise in demand from northern buyers.
While processors are eager for stock, official base prices at local plants are unchanged, with U-3 grading animals on 444p to 446p/kg at the upper end of factory quotes.
However, deals of 462p and 464p/kg are freely available, with regular finishers indicating 466p/kg is on offer. Prices above this level are reserved for specialist feedlot operators.
Young bulls have benefitted on the back of tighter supplies and deals range from 452p to 460p/kg, although the higher end of these prices are dependent on bulls meeting certain carcase specifications.
Supplies of cattle also have tightened in Britain and prices are slowly edging upwards, with U3 steers and heifers making 474p to 480p/kg this week.
Last week, the average price paid across all grades of steers and heifers in NI increased by 1.17p to 446.25p/kg.
Prices for U3 steers jumped 3.9p/kg to average 462.3p/kg, with heifers at the same grade up 2.5p to 463.2p/kg.
Cows
Cull cows remain a challenging trade, with strong numbers of dairy cows coming on the market.
Quotes for R3 animals are steady on 346p/kg, with price deals running little more than 10p/kg above this level.
NI sheep trade: factories look to take control
There are more lambs on offer this week and some marts saw prices easing.
Factories moved to capitalise and reduced quotes by 5p to 10p/kg, with a top quote of 520p/kg, making lambs worth £109.20 at the 21kg limit.
Kilrea sold lambs to a top of 506p/kg. A big run of lambs at 21kg made £98 to £101, with 22kg to £103 and 24kg at £112.
Gortin sold lambs to £120 for 29kg and £117 for 33kg, with a big run of pens from £101.50 to £112 for 20.5kg to 26kg.
Markethill sold a big show of 1,300 lambs from 450p to 480p/kg, down 20p/kg on last week.
The best price for heavy lambs at 24kg was £112, 26kg to £116 and 24.5kg at £109.
Good-quality middleweights at 23kg made £110.50, with 21kg at £100 and 21.8kg at £102.50.
Light store lambs at 11.5kg made £64, with 12.3kg making £66. Stronger stores at 17kg made £88, with 18.4kg at £93.
In Saintfield, 680 lambs made 460p to 500p/kg, down 15p to 20p/kg on last week.
Early lots in Ballymena saw 27kg making £119, 24kg at £110, 22.5kg to £104.5 and 20.5kg at £96. In the store ring, lambs typically made £90 to £94 for short-keep lots.
Ewes
The trade for fat ewes remains stable, with good prices paid for well-fleshed lots.
In Kilrea, the top price was £224. In Gortin, ewes sold to £196, with a big run from £102 to £190. At Markethill, top price was £192, with the main run from £100 to £168.