The number of stock traded over the last seven days is significantly down on the previous week, as marts begin to finish up sales for the Christmas holidays.

The demand for slaughter-fit and short-keep cattle has strengthened again this week, with extremely tight numbers pushing on prices, as well as an increased factory beef price helping the situation.

Heavy cattle, both steers and heifers, are up by around 3c/kg on average this week or €15/head to €20/head.

Steers

For bullocks, it means the average price of a 600kg-plus animal is €2.67/kg, which sees a 650kg beast come to €1,709/head.

At the top of the trade, these heavy bullocks that will grade an R+ or U are making €3/kg (€1,950/head), which on the same weight of animal is the equivalent to a beef price of €5.55/kg.

For those weighing from 500kg to 600kg, prices are similar to last week at an average of €2.61/kg or €1,435 for a 550kg steer.

At lighter weights, there was some easing of prices, especially where quality was lacking, seen in the table by the bottom third of stock down around 10c/kg for those weighing 350kg to 500kg.

This is primarily dairy stock, although some poorer-quality suckler-bred stock are falling into this category also.

Finishers still seem reluctant to purchase cattle more than 70 to 100 days from slaughter, which is limiting the number of prospective buyers for that lighter, lesser-quality animal.

Farmer buyers are more active in these weight categories, although given where feed costs currently are, many are pulling back on the number of cattle being fed.

What animals they are buying though is good quality and they are willing to pay that bit more for it, even at lighter weights.

Heifers

Trade for heifers has moved up slightly for nearly all weight categories as well this week for much the same reasons as bullocks – tight numbers and a slight slippage of overall quality coming forward for sale at the moment.

For 500kg to 600kg heifers, the average price is up 5c/kg or €25/head to €30/head on the week to an average price of €2.71/kg.

It puts the average 550kg heifer into €1,490 this week, while the top third of stock are averaging €3/kg or €1,650 for a 550kg animal.

Heifers over 600kg were in very short supply this week. However, those that sold averaged €2.74/kg, similar to the previous seven days.

Weanlings

Light weanling bulls eased compared with last week, but prices are in line with where they were running two to three weeks ago.

It sees the average weanling bull from 200kg to 300kg making €2.63/kg (€525/head to €790/head), while there was more appetite for heavier bulls from 300kg to 400kg averaging €2.92/kg (€876 to €1168).

Heifers weighing 200kg to 300kg averaged €2.87/kg, up significantly on the previous week, while at the top of the trade, heifers were making from €3.40/kg to €3.50/kg where real quality was on show.