Factories are slowly getting back to normal processing activity after the Christmas break.

Some are keen to get back up and running to normal throughput and are processing at close to pre-Christmas levels for four days this week while others are still operating at lower capacity and remained closed on Monday.

Some also had to deal with an unplanned carryover of stock from last week with a number of plants in the east affected by the ongoing dispute between the Department and veterinary inspectors and operating at a reduced kill.

There is no change in price with steers stuck on a base of €3.75/kg while heifers continue to trade in the main on a base of €3.85/kg. There is very little variation to these prices, with regular sellers struggling to secure any great bonus payments. Prices are running on average about 25c/kg behind the corresponding period in 2017 or about €80 on a 330kg carcase. This, combined with higher finishing costs, is significantly affecting the mood and denting confidence among beef finishers.

Reports on bulls remain variable between plants. Some plants are starting to work their way through higher numbers while others that handled very few over Christmas are still selective and operating with a low percentage of bulls in this week’s kill. The general run of prices reported for R and U grading is €3.70/kg for R grade bulls s and €3.80/kg for U grades. Specialist finishers with supply arrangements are in cases negotiating higher.

The greatest backlog in some plants is in relation to Friesian bulls, with a widening differential in cases based on quality. O grading bulls are trading on average from €3.50/kg to €3.60/kg with O+ grade bulls at the higher end of the price range while there are reports of O- grade bulls being quoted back to €3.45/kg. This is particularly the case where fat cover is also a concern, with price reductions of 5c/kg to 10c/kg for bulls falling into the 2-/2= fat class.

Cows

Cows have endured the greatest hit in price in recent months, with current prices running anywhere from 40c/kg to 60c/kg behind last year’s levels. P+3 grade cows are trading from €2.65/kg to €2.80/kg, with O grades from €2.80/kg to €2.90/kg on average; top lots are trading 5c/kg to 10c/kg higher. R grade cows range from €3.00/kg to €3.20/kg, with U grades to €3.30/kg to €3.35/kg.

Northern Ireland

Reports suggest the trade has started a bit more positively in Northern Ireland. A significant percentage of cattle are trading off a U-3 base of £3.42/kg to £3.46/kg or the equivalent of €3.79/kg to €3.84/kg at 90.2p to the euro and €4.00/kg to €4.04/kg including VAT at 5.4%. Regular sellers with greater negotiating power are pushing prices top prices towards £3.50/kg (4.09/kg incl VAT). Cows are largely unchanged, ranging in general from £2.30/kg (€2.69/kg) for plain O grades to £2.35/kg (€2.75/kg) for better types, with R grades selling to £2.46/kg (€2.88/kg).

The British trade remains sluggish. Prices have steadied over Christmas but demand is said to be running behind previous years. This is particularly the case for cows and young bulls, while in some parts there is a longer lead-in time to get cattle accepted for slaughter. Prices are strongest in Scotland with in-spec R grading steers and heifers ranging from £3.65/kg to £3.70/kg (€4.27/kg to €4.32/kg incl VAT). This is 5p/kg to 10p/kg ahead of other regions.