After a small increase in beef price last week, the cattle trade has steadied again. As such, there is no change to factory quotes, with U-3 grade cattle on a base of 348p/kg rising to 354p/kg for heifers.

There are more cattle available this week as more farmers look to offload the last of their grass cattle as well as selling animals to relieve stocking pressure in housing.

Some farmers report they are unable to get cattle booked for slaughter, with agents saying they are backlogged with animals. Demand for beef is steady, which has prevented processors from imposing price cuts as the availability of cattle increases.

Most farmers report factories are starting from a base of 354p/kg rising to 356p/kg for in-spec animals.

Regular sellers with bigger numbers are still managing to secure 358p/kg to 360p/kg at the top end of the market.

Young bulls are selling at base price, while plainer cattle are facing slight price pressure with some farmers saying they are back 2p/kg on last week. Traditional beef breeds that qualify for price premiums are returning strong prices of over 400p/kg. In Britain, the beef trade has eased by 1p to 2p/kg in the past week. Prices are holding at 385p/kg on R4L animals in England, while in Scotland, beef prices are holding close to 395p/kg for the same grade of animal.

With a 30p/kg price differential, 183 cattle were exported to Britain for slaughter in the past week, making it the highest figure for this year. Imports from the south increased by 60 head to 178 over the past week.

Cows

Quotes for cull cows are unchanged, with O+3 animals making 265p to 275p/kg, while R grade cows are on 275p to 285p/kg.

Cattle agents are keen for cows and offering deals of 290p/kg to 300p/kg for well-fleshed, continental beef animals.

Lamb trade

The downward trend in lamb prices continues and factories have taken another 5p/kg off their quotes. This puts base quotes on 370p/kg payable to 21kg carcase weight. The number of lambs has fallen in most marts and prices have weakened. However, Rathfriland had a big sale on Tuesday evening and the average price was down by 11p/kg. At present, lambs sold in the marts mainly go south, with very few bought by the northern plants. Heavier lambs go to the local butchery trade.

In Kilrea, 400 lambs sold from 322p/kg to 329p/kg, down by 8p/kg to 15p/kg on last week. Massereene sold 968 lambs making from 325p/kg to 352p/kg, down by 5p/kg to 10p/kg. In Saintfield, a small sale of 482 lambs made from 314p/kg to 360p/kg, down by 6p to 9p/kg on the week. Rathfriland had a big sale with 1,085 lambs making from 301p/kg to 393p/kg and averaging 335p/kg, down 11p/kg on last week.

The top prices for fat ewes have weakened slightly. They sold to a top price of £82/head in Newtownstewart and to £100 in Swatragh. Omagh had a sale with 469 ewes selling to £96. In Kilrea, the top price was £100. In Massereene, the top price was £80/head. In Saintfield, a great ewe made £146, with the remainder to £90. In Rathfriland, the top was £74 per head.