With the factory kill increasing again last week, the pressure has come off buyers to get cattle and this has been reflected in quotes.

This week, factories have been buying plenty of cattle at the quoted price of around €6.50/kg for steers and €6.60/kg for heifers.

As always, there are better deals out there for farmers with good numbers of in-spec cattle, but these have been harder to find.

Next week is a short week with the bank holiday and this also takes some of the pressure off buyers, though it is not as much of an issue as it was in the past because many factories have been operating a three-day week for killing cattle.

With factories getting the cattle they need and able to control the trade, a steer price of €6.50/kg with heifers at €6.60/kg looks like the going rate for the days ahead.

Turning to the cow trade, it remains strong and good cows are worth as much as steers in some cases.

The going rate for top-of-the-range U grading cows is still €6.50/kg, with R grading cows making €6.40/kg and there is also a very sharp trade in marts, particularly in the northern half of the country for these.

There has been a bit more pressure on O and P grading cows – no doubt the scarcity of grass in many places means that these are being moved on quicker than in other years.

O grading cows with flesh are generally moving at €6/kg. Strong sellers may get a bit more, but where factories aren’t particularly keen on buying cows they are offering less.

For P+3 cows, the going rate is €5.90/kg and, again, a little more might be secured in the more dedicated cow factories for a batch with flesh.

Young bulls are very much a specialist business, with many producers having a supply arrangement with a designated factory. That means there are fewer deals negotiated on a week-by-week basis, but where they are, €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg is the going rate for R grades.

U grades are generally making €6.60/kg, while O grades are moving between €6.20/kg and €6.30/kg.

Overage bulls are under some pressure, with €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg the general range, depending on weight and grades, with the small number of under-16-month young bulls working off the grid at a €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg base price.

Numbers

The factory cattle kill increased again last week, reaching 29,688 head, up from 26,938 the week before and the highest weekly kill for the past six weeks.

The biggest increase was in the number of steers slaughtered. For the first time since the start of June, the steer kill was above 11,000 and was 1,453 higher than the week before.

Heifer numbers were also substantially higher, up 1,123 head, but there was just a marginal increase in the cow kill at 7,703, just 14 more than in the previous week.

Last week’s cattle kill was more than 5,000 higher than in the same week last year, but for the year to date overall, the kill is running over 77,000 head down on where it was in the same period in 2025.

Britain and NI

Cattle numbers are still tight north of the border and prices have been holding steady. Official quotes for the U-3 steer grade struggled to get past £6/kg (€6.97/kg), but the price reported last week for U3 steers in NI was almost £6.11/kg which is the equivalent of €7.42/kg when vat is included.

In Britain, cattle prices are continuing to climb upwards. Last week, the average steer price increased by 4p/kg (4.7c/kg) to £6.07/kg which converts to €7.37/kg when vat is added.

The overall heifer price also increased, up 2p (2.3c/kg) to £6.06/kg (€7.35/kg) while the average cow price was at £4.93/kg or €5.99/kg with vat.