Factories continue to scramble for cattle supplies this week and have been very active in marts again trying to source slaughter-fit cattle. I was speaking with a farmer this week with 50-plus cattle to sell who spoke to his agent on Monday.
Factories continue to scramble for cattle supplies this week and have been very active in marts again trying to source slaughter-fit cattle.
I was speaking with a farmer this week with 50-plus cattle to sell who spoke to his agent on Monday.
His agent was advising him to sell quickly, as Christmas demand was ending and the agent was only lukewarm about buying his cattle.
The farmer was looking for 10c/kg more than was on offer and free haulage, with neither on the table from the agent.
The phone conversation ended with no deal done. The phone rang five minutes later with the 10c/kg and the lorry free of charge in the yard within two hours. Deal done.
All sorts of quotes are going this week and it all depends on how desperate different factories are for cattle. The advice is to continue to bargain hard.
Bullocks are working off a base price of €5.40/kg to €5.45/kg, while heifers are working off base prices of €5.50/kg to €5.55/kg.
Add on the 20c/kg in-spec bonus and some grading and continental breeds are at €6/kg and over it where factory club bonuses are being paid.
Flat prices are all the go at the moment, with up to €5.60/kg being paid this week for well-fleshed Friesian bullocks.
Factories are willing to do all sorts of deals this week to get cattle, with over-30-month cattle also being thrown into the mix at in-spec prices and bonuses.
Cows
Well-fleshed cows are in big demand, with the manufacturing beef trade continuing on a very strong footing ahead of the holiday season.
Quotes are increasing by the day for cows, with huge appetite out there for well-fleshed heavy cows.
O+ suckler cows are generally working off €5.00/kg to €5.10/kg, while O grading dairy cows are being bought at €4.90/kg to €5.00/kg, depending on which factory you are dealing with.
R grading cows are being quoted at €5.20/kg to €5.30/kg and higher money is available where numbers are involved.
P+3 cows are working off €4.75/kg to €4.85/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 €5.60/kg to €5.80/kg for U grading bulls.
R grading bulls are coming in at €5.50/kg to €5.60/kg, while O grading bulls are being bought at €5.35/kg to €5.45/kg.
P grading bulls are working off €5.25/kg to €5.30/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover. Under 16-month bulls are generally working off €5.30/kg to €5.40/kg base price before the additional in-spec bonus is applied.
All eyes are on Europe this week, as a trade summit is taking place in Montevideo in Uruguay, where the final hurdles are being crossed to sign off on the controversial Mercusor trade deal.
The deal could see 99,000t of South American beef come into Europe and if this was in the form of steak cuts, which it more than likely will be, it could have serious consequences for Irish steak exports to Europe.
Prices across the water have improved by 3p to 5p/kg again this week, with £5.50/kg (€6.99/kg incl VAT) on the table for in-spec stock.
The UK has increased its imports of beef in 2024, with Ireland being the main benefactor of the increased imports.
NI comment
A 2p/kg lift in base price brings U3 cattle to 498p/kg (€6.28/kg inc VAT) at NI plants, but 510p/kg (€6.44/kg) is a realistic starting price.
Most deals range from 512p to 516p/kg (€6.46 to €6.51/kg) for steers and heifers with young bulls making 2p to 4p/kg less. Cows are on the up, with R3 animals on 400p to 420p/kg (€5.05 to €5.30/kg).
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