Factories have been successful over the last few weeks in holding back prices, despite numbers of finished cattle coming on stream remaining tight and all our main export markets performing very strongly.

Farmers are becoming increasingly frustrated that these improvements aren’t being passed back.

The next big question is how factories will deal with increased demand for the Christmas trade and when they will start to increase the kill and the price in line with the anticipated increased demand in the runup to Christmas.

This week’s quotes for heifers remain unchanged at €3.60/kg to €3.65/kg for in-spec heifers, with bullocks trading 5c/kg behind that at €3.60/kg base before any in-spec or QPS bonuses are paid.

There is some reluctance especially, towards the north of the country, to quote €3.65/kg, but when pushed, it’s being paid by most.

There are still some reports of €3.70/kg being paid, especially in the south, where numbers and quality are in the mix. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford cattle are still in demand, with bonuses of 10c to 15c/kg available for suitable cattle.

It’s a similar story in the bull trade as well this week, with under-16-month bulls trading off €3.50/kg to €3.60/kg on the grid.

Older R grading bulls are at €3.55/kg to €3.65/kg, with U grades coming in on average 10c/kg higher at €3.65/kg to €3.70/kg.

There still appears to be some scope around no penalties on heavy bulls.

Lesser-grading dairy-cross bulls are generally trading at €3.40/kg to €3.50/kg. No farmers are reporting any issues with weights.

The cow trade is also similar to last week. However, all factories remain very anxious for cows.

P+3 cows trading at €2.95/kg to €3.05/kg. O grading cows are generally moving at €3.10/kg to €3.15/kg, with good R and U grading cows trading for as high as €3.30/kg to €3.45/kg in some plants, depending on numbers and quality.

Cows lacking flesh are at the lower end of the pricing scale.

Northern agents will likely be quieter for slaughter-fit cows around mart ringsides given the impending lockdown situation north of the border.

Factory feedlots have increased activity over the last seven to 10 days, purchasing store and forward cattle for further finishing.

Agents are mostly in the market for Aberdeen Angus and Hereford animals. There is some thought out there that until factory feedlots are full, the beef price won’t rise.

Last week’s cattle kill rose slightly to 36,500 head, up from last week’s figure of 35,627. Cows have seen a steady increase in numbers for the last three weeks.

Data released by the Northern Ireland Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) show a surge in UK retail sales of beef in the 12 weeks to 6 September, with roasting joints seeing the biggest rise, with a 30% increase in value terms and a 20% increase in volume terms over the period.

Overall, retail sales of beef saw a 13.8% increase in value over the period compared with the same period in 2019.

NI comment

There is a plenty of positivity within the beef trade in Northern Ireland as processors continue to hunt for cattle.

Base quotes are unchanged on 360p/kg (€4.21/kg inc VAT) for U-3 grading cattle. Regular finishers indicate that deals of 368p to 372p/kg (€4.30 to €4.35/kg) are available on steers with cattle agents offering deals of 370p to 376p/kg (€4.33 to €4.40/kg) on prime in-spec heifers.