The beef trade started the new year in a solid manner, with demand and prices holding steady over the Christmas break. The majority of deals are being completed at a base of €4.05/kg for steers and €4.15/kg for heifers.
Some plants are trying to pull prices back in line with those paid pre-Christmas and are offering a 5c/kg lower base. However, factory agents are not having much success, with factories not willing to lose out on numbers and restoring prices upwards when pushed to it to secure deals.
At the top end of the market, there have been deals completed at a top price of €4.18/kg for heifers or at a base of €4.15/kg and transport costs covered.
Numbers have been slower to build this week and some agents say the drive to maximise throughput in the run-up to Christmas has tightened supplies. This is also helping to keep a strong floor under the trade.
Solid demand is also evident across cows and young bulls, with heavy R and U grades particularly in demand.
Cows
Fleshed cows weighing upwards of 380kg carcase weight are trading to a top of €3.60/kg to €3.70/kg for top-quality R and U grade lots in cow-specialist plants.
The general run of prices is 5c/kg to 10c/kg lower, with R grading cows selling on average from €3.50/kg to €3.55/kg. Good-quality O+ grading cows are selling to a top of €3.45/kg, with O grading Friesian cows selling in general from €3.25/kg to €3.30/kg, while P+3 cows are making €3.20/kg.
Bull prices are steady, with R grades ranging from €4.00/kg to €4.05/kg, while U grading bulls range from €4.10/kg to €4.15/kg.
Friesian bulls are a good trade relative to quality continental bulls, with strong demand for bulls traded in big numbers. Prices for fleshed O grading bulls range from €3.80/kg where traded in small numbers to €3.90/kg to €3.95/kg and a top of €4.00/kg for large numbers of fleshed O+ types. Bulls less than 16 months on the grid are selling on a base of €4.00/kg to €4.05/kg.
Northern trade
The northern trade is similar, with some factories trying to talk prices back with little success and in turn calling on specialist finishers to boost throughput.
Base U-3 base quotes are starting at £3.50/kg, but most plants are working off a higher base of £3.56/kg, which is the equivalent of €4.01 at Wednesday’s exchange rate of 88.7p to the euro and €4.23/kg including VAT at 5.4%. Regular sellers are securing prices into the low £3.60s (€4.28/kg), while specialist finishers with large numbers on hand are securing top prices ranging from, £3.65/kg to £3.70/kg (€4.34/kg to €4.40/kg incl VAT).
Cow prices are unchanged, starting at £2.60/kg to £2.70/kg (€3.09/kg to €3.20/kg) for O grading dairy cows and rising to £2.90/kg (€3.45/kg) for better-quality suckler O grades with heavier carcases. R grades are selling to £3.00/kg (€3.56/kg) and higher.
British trade
The British trade has been helped in the last week by weather limiting throughput. Prices are steady, with R4l steers and heifers averaging around £3.75/kg (€4.45/kg incl VAT). Cows have strengthened, with O4l grades on average £2.65/kg (€3.15/kg).
Prices in other main European markets have also maintained recent improvement.
IFA livestock chair Angus Woods said: “Based on price returns from our largest export market in the UK and R3 young bulls making €4.20/kg to €4.40/kg including VAT in our main markets across continental Europe, there is significant potential for cattle prices to rise.”
Read more
Super trade for in-calf heifers at Draperstown
Download the Irish Farmers Journal news app today and get the latest prices for all grades and all factories through the built-in Livestock Tool
The beef trade started the new year in a solid manner, with demand and prices holding steady over the Christmas break. The majority of deals are being completed at a base of €4.05/kg for steers and €4.15/kg for heifers.
Some plants are trying to pull prices back in line with those paid pre-Christmas and are offering a 5c/kg lower base. However, factory agents are not having much success, with factories not willing to lose out on numbers and restoring prices upwards when pushed to it to secure deals.
At the top end of the market, there have been deals completed at a top price of €4.18/kg for heifers or at a base of €4.15/kg and transport costs covered.
Numbers have been slower to build this week and some agents say the drive to maximise throughput in the run-up to Christmas has tightened supplies. This is also helping to keep a strong floor under the trade.
Solid demand is also evident across cows and young bulls, with heavy R and U grades particularly in demand.
Cows
Fleshed cows weighing upwards of 380kg carcase weight are trading to a top of €3.60/kg to €3.70/kg for top-quality R and U grade lots in cow-specialist plants.
The general run of prices is 5c/kg to 10c/kg lower, with R grading cows selling on average from €3.50/kg to €3.55/kg. Good-quality O+ grading cows are selling to a top of €3.45/kg, with O grading Friesian cows selling in general from €3.25/kg to €3.30/kg, while P+3 cows are making €3.20/kg.
Bull prices are steady, with R grades ranging from €4.00/kg to €4.05/kg, while U grading bulls range from €4.10/kg to €4.15/kg.
Friesian bulls are a good trade relative to quality continental bulls, with strong demand for bulls traded in big numbers. Prices for fleshed O grading bulls range from €3.80/kg where traded in small numbers to €3.90/kg to €3.95/kg and a top of €4.00/kg for large numbers of fleshed O+ types. Bulls less than 16 months on the grid are selling on a base of €4.00/kg to €4.05/kg.
Northern trade
The northern trade is similar, with some factories trying to talk prices back with little success and in turn calling on specialist finishers to boost throughput.
Base U-3 base quotes are starting at £3.50/kg, but most plants are working off a higher base of £3.56/kg, which is the equivalent of €4.01 at Wednesday’s exchange rate of 88.7p to the euro and €4.23/kg including VAT at 5.4%. Regular sellers are securing prices into the low £3.60s (€4.28/kg), while specialist finishers with large numbers on hand are securing top prices ranging from, £3.65/kg to £3.70/kg (€4.34/kg to €4.40/kg incl VAT).
Cow prices are unchanged, starting at £2.60/kg to £2.70/kg (€3.09/kg to €3.20/kg) for O grading dairy cows and rising to £2.90/kg (€3.45/kg) for better-quality suckler O grades with heavier carcases. R grades are selling to £3.00/kg (€3.56/kg) and higher.
British trade
The British trade has been helped in the last week by weather limiting throughput. Prices are steady, with R4l steers and heifers averaging around £3.75/kg (€4.45/kg incl VAT). Cows have strengthened, with O4l grades on average £2.65/kg (€3.15/kg).
Prices in other main European markets have also maintained recent improvement.
IFA livestock chair Angus Woods said: “Based on price returns from our largest export market in the UK and R3 young bulls making €4.20/kg to €4.40/kg including VAT in our main markets across continental Europe, there is significant potential for cattle prices to rise.”
Read more
Super trade for in-calf heifers at Draperstown
Download the Irish Farmers Journal news app today and get the latest prices for all grades and all factories through the built-in Livestock Tool
This is a subscriber-only article
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