It’s pretty rare that beef quotes move midweek, but it’s all happening in the beef trade this week.

Beef quotes have kicked on again this week, with a number of factories now scouring the country looking for finished cattle.

Bullocks are generally working off a €6.50/kg to €6.60/kg quote. There are some factories still trying to buy bullocks at €6.40/kg, but they are getting little or no stock at that quote.

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Heifers have also moved up to a base price of €6.60/kg to €6.70/kg in most locations. Flat prices have also moved past the €7/kg mark, with €7.40/kg to €7.50/kg no on the table for larger numbers of in-spec Aberdeen Angus bullocks and heifers.

There has also been a lot of interest from some of the smaller NI processors in recent days, with the equivalent of a €7.20/kg flat price paid for continental heifers this week with haulage thrown in for free.

Beef finishers will be shouting on the man with Connemara connections on Saturday night, as Harry Kane’s England team look to knock out Norway in the quarter final of the World Cup.

Large World Cup watch parties and gatherings, combined with barbecue weather in the UK, has meant that manufacturing beef sales continue to perform very well and, coupled with a big drop in supplies over the last two weeks, has meant that factories have been forced to increase quotes again this week in order to secure supplies.

Cows

R grading cows are being priced around €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg, with more going to those with numbers.

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

O grading cows are being bought for around €6.10/kg to €6.30/kg. P+3 cows are coming in at €6.00/kg to €6.20/kg.

Some of the specialist cow producers have been able to squeeze a €6.30/kg flat price for mixes of O and P grading dairy cows this week.

Bulls

R grading bulls are coming in at €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg, with U grading bulls being quoted at €6.60/kg to €6.70/kg, depending on numbers and type.

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

Over-age bulls are generally working off a price of €6.10/kg to €6.30/kg, depending on grades and flesh cover. Under-16-month bulls are working off a €6.30/kg base price on the grid.

Numbers

The big driver of the increase in price over the last week has been the numbers that are available for killing.

Last week’s kill numbers dropped for the sixth week in a row, with just 23,828 cattle killed.

It’s at a similar point to where it was last week, but 2,000 head behind the same week in 2025.

The number of bullocks killed stood a 8,123 head, the lowest kill since the beginning of the year.

Factory agents have lit up marts in recent days, paying the equivalent of close to €8/kg deadweight for finished cattle such is the demand.

Numbers of finished cattle in marts remain small. There are also very low numbers of grass cattle coming available and will likely be another three to four weeks before any increase in numbers come.

British prices

Prices across the water in Britain continue to perform well, with a tightness in supplies also, which is keeping prices propped up.

Prices continue to trade north of £6/kg (€7.30/kg including VAT) for in-spec bullocks and heifers.