The weekly beef kill has tightened considerably with last week’s kill coming in at 31,701, almost 4,000 head less than the same week in 2022.

Bullocks are being bought at €5.20/kg to €5.25/kg while heifers are working off €5.25/kg to €5.30/kg. Cows are in big demand with €5.20/kg on the table for R/U grading cows in some factories.

Factories are killing big numbers from larger feeders and their own feedlots to shore up supplies. A total of 37,000 cattle from controlled finished units were sent to the factory in January 2023, up 8,500 head on the January 2022 figure.

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These cattle made up almost 30% of the national kill in January 2023, with higher numbers expected from controlled finishing units to plug the gap in supply over the next few months.