Beef Trends: 2024 quotes finish on a high

The Christmas spirit has filtered through to the beef trade this week, with factory agents full of Christmas cheer lifting quotes another 5c/kg across almost all categories of stock.

A number of factories were actually ringing their clients late last week to wish them a happy Christmas and also wondering was there any cattle that they could buy for this week.

Most factories killed on Monday this week and will also kill again on Friday. There was always a sweetener included to entice farmers out with cattle in the days between Christmas and the new year.

This year is no different with an extra 5c to 10c/kg being thrown in for some farmers who are killing big numbers this week and next week.

Most factories are also planning a four-day kill next week to minimise the down time and try to replenish some of the chills that have been cleared out in the run-up to Christmas.

Bullocks are working off a base price of €5.50/kg to €5.55/kg, with €5.60/kg also being paid for bullocks this week.

Heifers are a little more sought after, with as high as €5.70/kg being paid for heifers for next week’s kill. The general run of quotes is €5.60/kg to €5.65/kg for heifers this week.

Flat prices of €6.10/kg and over it where numbers are involved are on the table for in-spec Aberdeen Angus heifers.

Cows

Well-fleshed cows continue to be in big demand, with the manufacturing beef trade continuing on a very strong footing.

This is expected to continue into 2025, as credit cards usually sway shoppers to cheaper cuts of meat at the beginning of the new year.

O+ suckler cows are generally working off €5.10/kg to €5.20/kg, while O grading dairy cows are being bought at €5.00/kg to €5.05/kg, depending on which factory you are dealing with.

R grading cows are being quoted at €5.25/kg to €5.35/kg and higher money is available where numbers are involved.

P+3 cows are working off €4.80/kg to €4.90/kg, depending on weight, age and flesh.

Well-fleshed U grading cows continue to command top prices of €5.50/kg to €5.60/kg and over for young, fleshed heavy cows.

Bulls

Under-24-month bulls are still working off a €5.75/kg to €5.90/kg base price for U grading bulls and higher where larger numbers are involved.

Flat prices of €6/kg and over it are on the table where big numbers are involved.

R grading bulls are coming in at €5.60/kg to €5.75/kg, while O grading bulls are being bought at €5.40/kg to €5.50/kg. P grading bulls are working off €5.30/kg to €5.35/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Under-16-month bulls are generally working off €5.40/kg to €5.50/kg base price before the additional in-spec bonus is applied.

Taking a look back the 2024 kill (weeks one to 50), the young bull figure continues to decline, with another 8,000 fewer bulls killed this year. The young bull kill has fallen over 80,000 head since 2018.

The older bull kill remained steady, with 27,590 killed this year. The bullock kill also remained steady, with just over 3,000 more killed in 2024.

The cow kill took a big jump with an extra 41,000 cows killed so far. This was driven by declining suckler cow numbers and nitrates issues on dairy farms for the first half of 2024.

The heifer kill also saw a big jump, with almost 40,000 extra heifers killed in 2024. The number of calves being slaughtered dropped by 10,000 head, with 20,826 calves slaughtered in 2024.