Factories continue to hunt for cattle for next week’s kill, with most factories planning a three-day kill next week, with some also planning to work on Saturday 30 December.

Demand is high for slaughter-fit cattle, with all processors very active when it comes to buying this week’s supplies.

The general run of quotes is €4.95/kg for bullocks, with some higher quotes going to lure finishers out with cattle on Christmas week.

Heifers are along the same lines, with lots of factories quoting €4.90/kg, but paying €5.00/kg when pressure is applied.

Higher quotes are also available for those dealing in numbers and regular customers, with a few farmers dealing in bigger numbers able to squeeze €5.15/kg to €5.20/kg base price for continental heifers this week

Flat deals are also a big factor in the trade, with as high as €5.50/kg being paid for in-spec Aberdeen Angus heifers this week.

Hereford and Aberdeen Angus cattle are being especially sought after in marts.

Numbers heading for direct slaughter to NI remain steady, with almost 300 head exported last week, a similar number to the previous week.

Bull trade

The bull trade also remains solid, with €5.15/kg being paid for U grading under-24-month bulls this week in some locations, up 5c/kg on last week’s quotes.

R grading bulls are being quoted at €4.95/kg to €5.05/kg, with a little more going to regular suppliers and those with numbers. O and P grading bulls are trading at 5c/kg to 10c/kg less than this. Under-16-month bulls are generally working off base prices of €4.90/kg to €4.95/kg.

Cow prices

Well-fleshed P+3 cows continue to trade at €3.90/kg to €4.10/kg, depending on weight and quality.

O grading cows are working off €4.20/kg to €4.30/kg depending on the processor, while good R grading cows are coming in at €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg.

U grading cows are being quoted at €4.40/kg to €4.50/kg.

Last week’s kill came in at 38,481, up just over 600 head on the previous week. The bullock kill continues to drop, back another 337 head last week.

On the other hand, the cow kill continues to increase, with an extra 555 cows killed last week to bring the total cow kill to 12,225.

There have been over 5,000 extra cows killed in the last six weeks - over 800 per week - when compared with 2022 figures for the same period.

Good Herdsman - the organic beef company - has announced its 2024 pricing schedule. The group has committed to pay a base price of €6.00/kg for in-spec organic beef cattle by the first week of April 2024, a rise of 20c/kg over the course of three months.

U grading cattle receive a bonus of 18c/kg, while O- grading cattle receive an 18c/kg penalty.

Prices across the water continue to improve, with the AHDB reporting R4L steers coming into 4.94p/kg (€6.07/kg including VAT).

The kill in Britain was back almost 1,500 for the week ending 9 December to 43,058 head, the lowest kill since mid-September 2023.

That week’s kill was also back almost 6,000 head on the same week in 2022.

NI comment

Factory prices for prime cattle in Northern Ireland are also ending the year on a high as cattle agents chase supplies. Base quotes are up 2p/kg with 454p/kg (€5.56/kg inc VAT) on offer for U-3 grading animals.

However, steers and heifers are moving freely at 474p/kg (€5.81/kg), with regular finishers indicating deals of 480p/kg (€5.88/kg) are on the table with increased regularity, as farmers hold the upper hand when negotiating on price.

Young bulls are making 460p/kg (€5.63/kg) with cows steady on 340p/kg (€4.16/kg) for R3 animals.