Beef producers are finding it difficult to move the beef trade on, with factories digging in their heels on price.

A high percentage of steers are trading from a base of €3.95/kg, with producers with greater negotiating power and trading at the top of the market securing a base of €4.00/kg.

Factories are also trying to curtail prices above a base of €4.05/kg for heifers, but there is still a good deal of heifers securing a base of €4.10/kg or slightly higher in a small number of cases.

Throughput

Throughput appears to have been helped by firm supplies in the southern half of the country, with supplies reported as remaining tighter in the midlands and west. Provisional figures for last week’s kill point to a resumption of what has become normal throughput and a kill well in excess of 30,000 head.

Young bulls

The young bull trade is firm, with throughput declining but holding up better than previous years. R grading bulls are trading from €3.90/kg to €3.95/kg, with U grades from €4.00/kg to a top of €4.05/kg.

Bulls less than 16 months and trading on the grid are selling mainly on a base of €3.95/kg, but there are deals being completed 5c/kg higher. This excludes the 12c/kg quality payment scheme (QPS) bonus for cattle ticking all the boxes on age, fat cover and number of farm movements. Some plants are also only paying the higher base for bulls weighing less than 400kg to 420kg.

Cows

Cows remain a really solid trade, with agents resuming purchasing activity in marts. P+3 grading cows are trading on average from €3.25/kg to €3.35/kg, but up to 10c/kg higher has been paid for cows traded in big numbers.

Likewise, O grading cows are trading anywhere from €3.40/kg to €3.55/kg, with R grades from €3.50/kg to €3.60/kg. Flat-priced deals for heavy R and U grading cows are rising to €3.65/kg to €3.70/kg in cow-specialist plants, with the best demand for young cows.

Northern trade

The trade remains unchanged, with a high percentage of steers and heifers trading on a U-3 base quote of £3.52/kg to £3.56/kg (€4.14/kg to €4.19/kg). Those trading at the top of the market continue to secure up to £3.60/kg (€4.24/kg).

Cow prices are steady, with O grading cows trading from £2.65/kg to £2.85/kg, depending on quality and numbers offered, while good R and U grading cows selling from £2.80/kg where traded in individual lots or small numbers to a top of £3.00/kg to £3.15/kg (€3.53/kg to €3.71/kg).