The beef trade remains under negative price pressure. Factories have succeeded in bringing the trade back with quotes reducing 5c/kg on last week's levels.

An east-west divide is still evident in many plants with factories in the west trying to purchase of a base of €3.70/kg with more scope to secure €3.75/kg in the east. A similar trend is becoming evident with heifers.

Plants in the west are in many cases quoting a base of €3.80/kg with more scope to secure €3.85/kg in the east.

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Demand remains firm in the ABP plants for Angus stock with the company also starting to purchase cattle in greater numbers for their feedlots.

Price pressure

While bull throughout is low, price pressure for steers and heifers is also putting pressure on bull quotes. R and U grades have dropped in some plants to €3.70/kg and €3.80/kg but most cattle are moving for at least 10c/kg higher. This excludes producer bonuses for those supplying large numbers.

Quotes for bulls less than 16 months and trading on the grid have also come back in line with steer quotes.

Dairy cull

There has been some increase in the number of dairy cull cows coming on stream. It is not major however with many dairy farmers located in the east not under as much grazing pressure with grass supplies or underfoot conditions and milking on for as long as possible.

P+3 grading cows are selling in general from €2.85/kg ton€2.95/kg with cows at the top of the market to €3.05. O grading Friesians are selling from €2.95/kg to €3.10/kg with suckler bred lots 5c/kg to 10c/kg higher. R grades are trading from €3.25/kg to €3.40 with heavy fleshed U grades to €3.50/kg.

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