Steers and heifers are generally moving off a base of €3.60/kg to €3.65/kg on Monday.

I have heard of some larger finishers squeezing €3.70/kg for heifers, but this was where large numbers were being dealt with.

Most processors are holding tight to €3.60/kg and appetite is varied, with some talking of weight limits being applied again, something which hasn’t cropped up for the last few months.

Young bulls

Young bulls are trading at €3.60/kg base on the QPS grid. Older bulls are working off €3.50/kg to €3.55/kg for R grading bulls and €3.60/kg to €3.65/kg for U grading bulls.

Cows are still in demand, with quotes for P grading cows coming in at €2.90/kg to €3.00/kg, O grading cows at €3.00/kg to €3.10/kg and R grading cows at €3.15/kg to €3.25/kg, depending on numbers and quality.

Good-quality cows are still a very good trade in marts, with good northern demand for suitable cows.

There is also a very good mart trade for cattle close to finish. Farmers are advised if cattle are not quite finished to head to the mart as opposed to facing heavy penalties on the QPS grid.

Active agents

Factory feedlot agents are very active in the marts for these lots, especially for the traditional breeds.

Talking to people in the trade, manufacturing beef continues to be a very good trade and this is reflective in cow quotes both at home and across the water.

While the beef price has slipped a little north of the border, numbers exported for direct slaughter are still consistently hitting over 600 head/week.

Factories have been able to manage the kill exceptionally well over the last few weeks. Killing just over 34,000 cattle in the last week of August is a low kill in comparison to other years, but factories have been able to get away without lifting prices even with finished cattle short in supply.

Good weather for the next week should have a positive impact, as pressure comes off some finishers who up until the weekend were looking at housing forward cattle.