The beef trade continues in a strong position this week, with quotes unchanged from last week’s prices. Numbers took a considerable jump on the previous week, with an extra 1,800 cattle killed compared with last week.
The beef trade continues in a strong position this week, with quotes unchanged from last week’s prices.
Numbers took a considerable jump on the previous week, with an extra 1,800 cattle killed compared with last week.
Bullocks continue to work off a €5.05/kg to €5.10/kg base price, with heifers working off a base price of €5.10/kg to €5.15/kg.
More is available to finishers who are dealing regularly in factories and to those with numbers.
Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bonuses range from 10c/kg to 30c/kg depending on the factory that you are dealing with.
While numbers were higher last week, agents remain very active for finished cattle, with no agent willing to let cattle go for the sake of a few cent. The advice is to continue to sell hard and market cattle as they become fit.
Cows
O+ suckler cows are generally working off €4.50/kg to €4.65/kg, while O grading dairy cows are being bought at €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg, depending on the part of the country you are in.
R grading cows are being quoted at €4.75/kg to €4.80/kg and higher money is available where numbers are involved.
Farmers should bargain hard for better prices, especially where cows have good flesh cover and good weight.
Those with numbers are also in a strong position for selling for the next few weeks.
P+3 cows are working off €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg, depending on weight, age and flesh cover.
The mart trade is still the best option for farmers with smaller numbers of cows, with agents still very active for heavy well-fleshed cows.
Bulls
Under-24-month bulls are still working off a €5.35/kg to €5.40/kg base price for U grading bulls. R grading bulls are coming in at €5.20/kg to €5.30/kg, while O grading bulls are being bought at €5.00/kg to €5.10/kg.
P grading bulls are working off €5.00/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.
Under-16-month bulls are generally working off a €5.00/kg to €5.10/kg base price.
The bull kill has taken a big drop in 2024, with almost 7,000 fewer young bulls killed so far in 2024 compared with the same period in 2023.
Last week’s bull kill fell under 1,000 head for the first time in 2024 and the first time in a number of years.
September was always a slack month for bulls, but the drop under 1,000 head is significant and shows the factories’ view of bulls hasn’t changed. If you look back at the same week in 2017, there was 2,438 bulls killed in the same week.
Last week’s total kill came in at 34,881, an increase of over 1,800 on the previous week.
The biggest lift came in the bullock kill, which crossed the 16,000 mark for the first time in 2024 to come in at 16,121, almost 1,000 head up on the previous week.
The heifer kill also saw a significant lift, with numbers up 750 head on the previous week. The heifer kill is running about 800 head up on the same week in 2023.
The cow kill is up 1,400 on the same week in 2023, while the bullock kill is running similar to where it was for the same week in 2023.
For the year to date, the kill is running 14,166 head up on 2023.
Bord Bia had been estimated that the 2024 kill could be back as much as 30,000 to 40,000.
NI comment
Base quotes are unchanged at NI plants, with 476p (€5.90/kg incl VAT) for U-3 grading animals, although prices for in-spec steers and heifers are well above this level, with 492p and 496p/kg (€6.10 to €6.15/kg) widely available as supplies remain tight.
Deals on young bulls run from 484p to 488p/kg (€6 to €6.05/kg), with cows making 380p to 400p/kg (€4.71 to €4.96/kg) depending on quality and age.
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