Quotes for prime cattle remain at €3.60/kg this week, with €3.65/kg available for heifers in some plants.

Some processors are working off a €3.60 base for both steers and heifers, but those with large numbers and extra bargaining power are able to get the €3.65/kg price for heifers.

Aberdeen Angus and Hereford stock can up the bargaining power with factories actively sourcing suitable stock to fill retail orders in the run up to Christmas.

Tightening numbers

Numbers of prime cattle seem to be tightening a little, especially in marts, with mart managers around the country reporting that the numbers of finished cattle in mart rings are falling off.

Factories are expected to ramp up processing activity in the next two to three weeks in advance of the Christmas trade and Brexit on 1 January.

Beef finishers are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of movement in beef prices, given the prices available in some of our main markets.

The bull trade is similar to last week’s trade, with R grading bulls ranging from €3.50/kg to €3.60/kg and U grading bulls at €3.65/kg to €3.70/kg. Under-16-month bulls are trading off €3.55/kg to €3.60/kg base price.

Cow quotes back

Cows have slipped further in price this week, with quotes down another 5c/kg in some plants.

Lockdown in the UK, and indeed across all of the main European countries, has taken its toll on food service demand, with hotels and restaurants all closed for in-house dining.

There appears to be little appetite in the market for cows, with some processors not quoting for poorer cows lacking flesh.

Quotes for R grading cows are at €3.00/kg to €3.10/kg, O grading cows in the €2.75/kg to €2.85/kg bracket and P grading cows back at €2.60/kg to €2.70/kg.

There appears to be some resistance on the ground to sell R grade cows below €3.10/kg, with farmers willing to hold on and take their chances in the runup to Christmas.

Exports of live cattle to the North have eased back in recent weeks. There were 318 cattle exported to NI in the last week of October, down from 864 in the last week of September.