The beef trade shows no signs of easing, with factory agents continuing to be under big pressure to source supplies of finished cattle this week.

There was a time when an October bank holiday Monday would mean factories had a chance to reduce beef quotes on the back of a reduced kill, but the rulebook has been rewritten in 2025.

Such is the shortage of supplies at the moment, many factories are only managing to get enough cattle to kill for three days a week, let alone go to four days, so the bank holiday is having no effect on price.

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Bullocks are trading from €7.50/kg to €7.60/kg this week, with heifers moving at €7.60/kg to €7.80/kg. All sorts of deals are being completed to get cattle, with any farmer with cattle to sell at the moment firmly in the driving seat.

Up to €8.25/kg is available for R grading Aberdeen Angus heifers this week. If selling on the grid, bonuses of 30c/kg are available for Aberdeen Angus heifers, with 20c/kg available for in-spec Herefords.

Flat prices as high as €8/kg have also been paid for bigger loads of continental cattle this week.

Cows

Up to €7.70/kg is on the table for top-quality U grading cows, with €7.40/kg available for R grading cows, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Good-quality O grading suckler cows are coming in around €7.10/kg to €7.20/kg. Some farmers have managed to negotiate a price of €7.10/kg for mixtures of well-fleshed O and P grading cows.

P+3 cows are coming in at €6.90/kg, with €7.00/kg paid for larger loads of fleshed dairy cows this week.

With milk price coming back, the numbers of dairy cows coming to the market in the weeks ahead could increase, especially as weather conditions deteriorate and cows are housed.

Bulls

Quotes of as high as €7.80/kg are available for U grading bulls where numbers are involved, working back to €7.30/kg to €7.40/kg for O grades.

R grading bulls are coming in at €7.50/kg to €7.60/kg this week. There are no issues with weights in the last few weeks, with factories looking for volumes of beef.

Under-16-month-old bulls are working off a base price of €7.30/kg to €7.50/kg, with a little more going to those with numbers.