The beef trade has a more positive feel to it this week, with a marked difference in agents’ tone over the last few days.

They have somehow gone from having plenty of cattle last week to having not enough cattle this week and all that with no big change in the weekly kill.

A dry week and a little more confidence from farmers when selling cattle also helped to sway the power back in the finishers’ favour.

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The tides started to change late last week, as agents began ringing around looking for cattle for this week’s kill.

Official quotes remain at €7.10/kg for bullocks, but there is a lot more going when pressure is applied.

I have spoken to farmers this week who have had no trouble attaining €7.20/kg and €7.30/kg base price where numbers are involved.

Heifers are a similar story, with some of the smaller independent factories very active for heifers this week.

Base prices are starting at €7.20/kg, but there’s a lot more moving at €7.30/kg this week.

Flat prices are also back in vogue, with as high as €7.70/kg being paid this week to secure in-spec Aberdeen Angus heifers.

On-the-grid bonuses remain between 20c and 25c/kg for in-spec Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks and heifers.

Haulage is also being paid on a lot of cattle that factories are buying at the moment, so make sure you’re getting all the little bonuses available when selling.

Cows

The cow trade has also steadied, with agents actively sourcing slaughter-fit cows in marts and buying cows for direct slaughter.

R grading cows are generally trading at €6.90/kg to €7.10/kg, while O grading cows are coming in around €6.80/kg to €6.90/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

P+3 grading cows are back to €6.50/kg in some locations, but €6.60/kg is available, especially where numbers are involved.

The cow kill is very stable at just under 6,000 cows being killed weekly at the moment. That figure was 8,600 cows/week for the same week last year.

Bulls

Up to €7.50/kg is available at the top end for U grading bulls where numbers are involved, working back to €7.20/kg to €7.30/kg for O grades.

Under-16-month-old bulls are working off a base price of €7.10/kg, with a little more going to those with numbers.

Specialised finishers are working off quotes 20c to 30c/kg higher than smaller finishers.

Cattle kill

Last week’s kill came in at just over 30,000 head, up about 500 head on the previous week.

Comparing with the same week in 2024, the cattle kill was back just under 10,000 last week.

Excluding calves, this year’s cattle kill is just over 91,000 behind last year’s kill, with further reductions likely to take place as we head into winter.

High live exports will likely see these short supplies of finished cattle carry well into 2026.

British trade

Across the water, the beef trade is being described as steady, with numbers continuing to be in short supply.

Prices are generally hovering around the 640p/kg (€7.73/kg incl VAT) mark this week, with agents adopting a similar approach to Irish purchasers in quoting lower but paying higher when the deal is done.

A decline in suckler numbers is putting continuing pressure on sourcing animals for slaughter, with the British suckler herd currently back 3% on 2024 numbers.

A reduction in the number of cattle in the 18- to 30-month age bracket would point to the current shortage in supplies continuing for the medium term. The Northern Ireland beef trade remains steady, with 655p/kg (€7.91/kg incl VAT) available for in-spec stock.