Beef processors continue to apply pressure to the beef trade this week, with more processors dropping to a base quote of €6.50/kg for bullocks and €6.60/kg for heifers.

There are some farmers who are still able to get a base quote of €6.60/kg for both bullocks and heifers. There are also a few farmers still managing to squeeze a €6.70/kg base price for select heifers

Aberdeen Angus bullocks and heifers are attracting a 20c/kg premium, with in-spec Hereford cattle working off a 10c/kg bonus in most locations.

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Winter finishers are becoming increasingly frustrated at factory tactics in recent weeks.

The most expensive cattle of the year are currently being finished, with cattle in sheds since last November. Winter finishers are currently losing €400 to €500/head on the back of where store prices were last autumn.

There are some factory agents continuing to talk about problems down the line for the breed bonuses in some factories, but for now most are paying out.

Some factory agents have even gone so far as to say that there are too many Aberdeen Angus cattle in the market at the moment and dairy farmers should be looking at other breeds to reduce the supply.

Finished cattle in marts have also tracked back a little in recent days, with agents a little less active around rings. Lighter longer-keep cattle, on the other hand, remain a solid trade in marts.

Cows

R grading cows are being priced at €6.25/kg to €6.30/kg. U grading cows are generally now being bought at €6.50/kg to €6.60/kg, with higher prices going to regular cow sellers and specialist feeders.

O grading cows are being bought for €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg. P+3 cows are coming in at €5.80/kg to 5.90/kg, with some factories quoting lower for very light cows.

Bulls

R grading bulls are coming in at €6.70/kg to €6.75/kg and U grading bulls are being quoted at €6.80/kg to €6.90/kg, although bulls are in short supply, with low numbers being killed.

There are a number of operators still able to get €6.90/kg for mixtures of R and U grading bulls.

O grading bulls are working off an all-in price of €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg, while P grading bulls are being quoted at €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Over-age bulls are generally working off prices of €6.60/kg to €6.70/kg, depending on grades and flesh cover. Under-16-month bulls are working off a €6.50/kg to €6.60/kg base price on the grid.

Last week’s kill came in at just over 30,000 head. The cow kill dropped to its lowest level in 2026, with just over 5,500 cows killed last week, down from 6,355 the week before.

The bull kill also remains low, with 1,679 bulls killed last week. Last week’s kill was on a par with the same week in 2025. However, the national kill is now over 85,000 head lower than 2025.

Factories have been very active filling feedlots in recent weeks with forward store cattle.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) in the UK carried out an analysis of the food service trade recently.

Volumes haven’t changed much, declining 3.7% year on year. The average price per pack increased by 0.3%.

This decline was due to takeaways in the main, which saw an 8.5% drop. Burgers represent 48.6% of food service volumes and saw a steady trade for the 12 months with just a very small 0.3% decrease in volumes over the 12-month period.

Further afield, the European Commission has moved to implement a ban on Brazilian beef imports to Europe from 3 September 2026 on the back of Brazil failing to apply standards around the use of antibiotics.

Mercosur countries continue to wrangle over the split of the quota to be used by each South American country.

The deal, which came into effect at the beginning of May, will still allow beef from Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina to be exported to Europe.