Last week’s cattle kill fell by over 1,000 head as finished cattle numbers continue to dry up. It’s the lowest normal weekly kill of cattle so far in 2022 and it’s the third week in a row that numbers have continued to fall.

Smaller wholesalers are coming under most pressure to secure stock. This means that they have had to increase quotes ahead of the main players to secure supplies.

The general run of quotes this week is €5.25/kg for bullocks and €5.35/kg for heifers.

Donegal is 10c/kg ahead of these quotes for bullocks and 5c/kg ahead for heifers killing out between 300kg and 400kg.

Flat prices of as high as €5.80/kg to €5.90/kg are being paid at the moment for mixes of Aberdeen Angus and Hereford cattle.

A weekend of sunshine and a four-day bank holiday in the UK should mean a big week for beef sales, as barbecue season gets into full swing.

Cow prices

U grading cows are being quoted at €5.20/kg to €5.30/kg, with those with high numbers of good cows able to squeeze a little more out of the market.

Wholesalers are the best payers at the moment, with some giving 10c to 20c/kg more for top-end cows compared with some of the mainstream factories.

R grading cows are trading for as high as €5.05/kg to €5.15/kg, with good O grading cows coming in at €4.90/kg to €5.00/kg. Well-fleshed P+3 cows are being quoted at €4.80/kg to €4.85/kg, but flat deals of higher prices are available to those with higher numbers.

Factory agents are regularly paying in excess of €3.30/kg for heavy well-fleshed cows, which is in excess of €5.80/kg beef price. The mart is still the place to go with small numbers of cows.

Bulls

Bulls are in big demand. U grading bulls are now up at €5.60/kg to €5.70/kg in a couple of factories.

There are also flat deals of €5.70/kg going in some smaller factories for under-16-month bulls with no weight limits.

R grading bulls are working off €5.30/kg to €5.40/kg, depending on flesh cover. Deals are being done at €5.50/kg for mixes of Rs and Us.

Young bulls are working off €5.30/kg to €5.40/kg, with good demand from most factories.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that a major processor has lost a contract in recent weeks for bull beef to mainland Europe on the basis that they were not able to procure enough bulls on a weekly basis.

Kill figures

Last week’s kill came in at 32,030 head, 1,000 less than the previous week. Looking at the kill so far in 2022, we are currently running almost 75,000 head past the 2021 kill for the same period.

Bord Bia has estimated that the national kill will be 80,000 to 90,000 head up on the 2021 kill, so numbers are expected to remain tight for much of the second half of 2022.

All categories of stock have seen increased, but cows have seen the biggest lift. The cow kill is up 25,718 head on the same period in 2021.

Across the water in Britain, the beef trade is holding steady, with R4L heifers coming in at £4.50/kg to £4.55/kg (€5.60/kg to €5.65/kg) this week.

NI comment

North of the border, base quotes for U3 grading cattle have pushed on to 430p/kg (€5.33/kg inc VAT), up 2p/kg on last week.

Prices are generally steady, as the bank holiday weekend means plants are under less pressure to source numbers.

Steers are holding firm at 446p/kg (€5.53/kg), although higher prices are on offer for bigger numbers.

Heifers are generally moving at 448p to 450p/kg (€5.55 to €5.58/kg), with young bulls priced around 440p/kg (€5.46/kg).

Quotes on cows are holding at 370p/kg (€4.59/kg), with deals starting around 380p/kg (€4.71/kg) and rising to 400p/kg (€4.96/kg).