The Scottish beef market seems to be reluctant to reach £4/kg, with most abattoirs quoting farmers £3.82 to £3.88/kg for R grade carcases.

The official Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) price for R grading steers for the week ending 23 January was £3.92/ kg, which is up 2p/kg on the week. Same-grade heifers rose 3p to £3.93/kg. The young bull price dropped 6p/kg to £3.62/kg.

Finished cows were reported by the AHDB at £2.65/kg for an 0-4, which is up 1/kg. R grade cows can expect £2.85/kg. Thainstone sold 226 cull cows and bulls last Thursday. The average weight at the sale was 729kg with a price of £1,015. The 208 beef cows averaged £1.40/kg.

Eight dairy cows averaged £1.20/kg and the eight bulls averaged 95p/kg.

The strong store trade continues in Scotland, with many finishers hoping for over £4/kg this back end to justify the current trade.

United Auctions sold 1,048 stores last week, with the steers averaging £2.33/kg, heifers £2.24/kg and the dairy steers at £1.75.kg.

Craig Wilson Mart in Ayr sold 670 store cattle at its first sale of the year. The steers averaged £2.24/kg or £1,014.95, heifers averaged £2.17/kg or £951.40 and Friesian steers were sold for £1.77/kg or £922.32.

Hoggets

The hogget trade looked to steady itself in the abattoirs, as prices dropped back by £5/head or 25p/kg to £5.65/kg for R grades. The official AHDB price for across GB was £5.78/kg for an R3L carcase, which is up 8p/kg. The number of hoggets slaughtered in GB was 37,728 down 2,000 on the week.

The live ring slipped 10p/kg on the week, with most marts paying between £2.40/kg and £2.55/kg for medium-weight hoggets. This week’s Monday marts sold well, with Ayr averaging £2.57/kg, Lanark £2.56/kg and St Boswells £2.49/kg.

Kirkwall Mart in Orkney sold 108 hoggets at £2.22/kg and Huntley Mart sold hoggets at £2.47/kg. Thainstone sold nearly 2,000 hoggets to an average of £2.43/kg.

United Auctions sold nearly 1,400 store and feeding sheep last week. Prices were mostly back across the breeds, with Suffolks averaging £90.40/head (down £2.86), Texels £85.93/head (down £6.35), Cheviots £71.95/head (back £7.36) and Blackfaces £70.81/head (down £10.50).

Aberdeen and Northern Marts sold 1,581 store lambs, with mainland lambs averaging £88.99/head and island lambs selling for £87.76/head.

Fodder sale

Aberdeen and Northern Marts held a fodder sale, with inside barley 4x4 bales still at £12 each.

Inside hay was up to £13.50/bale and haylage dropped £2.50/bale to £10 per bale. Baled silage also dropped by £1.50/bale to £9 per bale.

Turnips were making £29/t for the second week running.