The trade in clean cattle is showing further increases this week, with some quotes up 4p/kg and 6p/kg, leaving the best quotes for U-3 grade steers and heifers at 470p/kg.

Finished cattle are in short supply, and factory agents are keen to secure numbers to fulfill orders.

In some cases, farmers booking cattle have been told they can kill the next day.

With numbers tight, the deals on offer bear little resemblance to base quotes. Steers and heifers are freely moving at 488p to 490p/kg, with slightly more available to regular suppliers.

Similar prices have been offered to farmers with a load of young bulls to sell. Deals are being done to include free haulage. Actual prices paid moved up again last week, with U3 grading steers averaging 487.4p/kg, up 2.7p/kg, with U3 heifers at 487.3p/kg, up 1.9p/kg on the previous week. U3 grading young bulls averaged 476.9p/kg.

However, those prices remain around 15p/kg behind those paid in Britain, where U3 grades have passed the 500p/kg barrier across much of England.

The NI kill last week was affected by the bank holiday on Friday and came in at 8,110 head, to include 6,118 prime cattle, the lowest prime kill since the first week of the year. The same week in 2022, local factories slaughtered over 9,000 head.

Republic of Ireland

Prices in the Republic of Ireland have fallen slightly behind NI, although there remains no great financial incentive to import cattle. A total of 211 head came into NI last week, over half of which were steers. Trade in the opposite direction was only 20 head.

Cow quotes

Processing demand is outstripping supply for cull cows, with deals on offer for R grading animals ranging from 415p to 420p/kg this week, well above official factory quotes of 390p/kg.

Last week the prices paid for R3 cows averaged 411.2p/kg, up 2.7p/kg on the previous week, with O3 grades at 387.7p/kg.

Firm trade for hoggets in NI

The hogget trade in the marts is firm this week, with some prices showing small increases. In the factories, base quotes are up 10p to 560p/kg, making a hogget worth £123.20 at the 22kg limit.

Gortin Mart had a solid trade, with heavy hoggets at 28kg to 31kg selling from £127 to £131; 24kg made £126 a head.

Kilrea had a show of 560 hoggets from 494p/kg to 527p/kg, no change on last week. The top price of 527p/kg was for 22kg at £116, with 525p/kg paid for 24kg at £116. Hoggets at 21.5kg sold at £112 (521p), with 19kg making £95 (500p).

Markethill had a big sale, with 1,150 hoggets making from 500p/kg to 525p/kg.

Saintfield had a sale of 488 hoggets selling from 495p/kg to 530p/kg, down by 5p to 10p on last week. A big run from 24kg to 27kg made from £118 to £127.

In Rathfriland, a small show of 300 hoggets sold from 488p to 530p/kg and averaged 503p, up by 1p on last week.

There was a strong trade in Ballymena. Very heavy hoggets made to £133.50. A pen of 90 head at 24.5kg made £125; and 21kg sold at £118.

Ewes

Fat ewes remain a very firm trade. In Gortin the top price was £184, with a run from £130 to £180. In Kilrea the top was £171 and in Markethill it was £200. In Saintfield, Texels sold at £205 and £190, with the main run from £126 to £188. And in Rathfriland the top was £200 a head.