Sunshine has maintained the stability in the beef trade over the weekend, with quotes relatively unchanged from last week.

There is also more positive sentiment in the trade for the next few weeks, with agents actively sourcing cattle for the next few weeks.

Speaking to agents on the ground, a lot of shed cattle have dried up, with agents calling on some of the larger finishers this week to shore up supplies.

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The poorer spring meant that some cattle that would have normally been turned out weren’t turned out and rather finished out of the shed.

Bullocks are working off a €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg base price. Heifers are also moving at a similar level to last week, with the tops generally coming in around €6.30/kg base price.

Some suppliers have managed to squeeze a €6.40/kg base price for heifers out of processors, with other deals also being completed around haulage and bonuses.

At the moment, it’s a case of pushing hard when it comes to quotes, with certain agents having leeway to up quotes when pressure is applied.

Cows

R grading cows are being priced around €6.00/kg, with more going to those with numbers. U grading cows are now being bought at €6.10/kg to €6.20/kg, with higher prices going to regular cow sellers and specialist feeders.

O grading cows are being bought for around €5.90/kg. P+3 cows are coming in at €5.60/kg to €5.80/kg, with some factories continuing to quote lower for very light cows.

Bulls

R grading bulls are coming in at €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg, with U grading bulls being quoted at €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg, depending on the number and type involved.

O grading bulls are working off an all-in price of €6.10/kg to €6.30/kg, while P grading bulls are being quoted at €6.00/kg to €6.20/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Over-age bulls are generally working off a price of €6.00/kg to €6.20/kg, depending on grades and flesh cover. Under-16-month bulls are working off a €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg base price on the grid.