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Base quotes on prime cattle continue to edge upwards, closing the differential to price deals being offered by cattle agents.
Several processing plants have added another 2p/kg to quotes, which more or less brings all plants to an official quote of 360p/kg for U-3 grading animals this week.
Factory agents indicate that the supply of finished animals coming on to the market is relatively good, but strong demand from the retail sector continues to drive processing demand.
A strong live trade is also helping to underpin prices, offering farmers who are not under movement restrictions an alternative outlet for good quality steer and heifers.
Prices reported by farmers are holding firm on previous weeks. Farmers with limited numbers, or selling less regularly, report prices of 366p to 368p/kg on steers and young bulls. For more regular sellers, prices of 370p to 372p/kg are more commonly available on in-spec steers, with 2p to 4p/kg more where bigger numbers are being forwarded.
Young bulls are also moving around the 370p/kg mark for animals below the 400kg carcase weight limit and supplied by regular finishers.
Prime heifers are moving off farm in line with steer prices, although there are some reports of wholesalers paying prices in the region of 380p/kg for good-quality butcher-type heifers.
Cattle being sold through premium breed schemes are moving off farm at the outlined base quotes, before premiums are being applied.
Last week, the average price paid across all grades of steers and heifers saw a slight easing of 0.21p/kg to 359.69p/kg.
For U3 grading steers, the average price rose by 1.8p/kg to 371p/kg. In contrast, there was a 0.3p/kg slip in the average price paid on U3 heifers, which was 372.8p/kg. Young bulls saw a big drop of 5p/kg for U3 animals, which fell to 357.7p/kg.
Prices for cull cows are slowly edging upwards with plants adding 5p/kg to base quotes. This brings R3 cows to 275p/kg with O+3 animals on 265p/kg.
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