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Supplies of finished cattle are tightening at pace, pushing several factories to raise base quotes to 430p/kg for U-3 grades.
Processors are trying to keep control of the trade, and point out that with the Christmas kill finished, fewer animals are required to meet demand.
While this may be the case, factory agents are still finding it challenging to source adequate numbers, particularly in-spec animals.
There are numerous reports of factory agents contacting regular finishers to enquire about cattle coming forward.
Farmers also indicate that cattle booked for slaughter at the start of the week have already been processed, such is the eagerness for stock.
Deals
Price deals are also edging upwards, with deals of 444-446p/kg being regularly reported for steers, with heifers at 450p/kg.
Cull cows are also seeing prices improving despite supplies of dairy cows remaining extremely strong. Reports indicate up to 310-340p/kg is available for dairy cows depending on quality.
In contrast, supplies of good quality suckler bred cows are much harder to come by, especially younger beef cows.
Where available, price deals are pushing upwards to 380p/kg to keep pace with the marts, where liveweight prices of 200-230p/kg are freely on offer. Older suckler types are typically making 365-370p/kg at slaughter.
Lambs remain a solid trade despite some moves to lower base quotes to 525p/kg. Competition from Irish factories is underpinning the mart trade with €6.70/kg on offer south of the Irish border, which converts to a sterling price of 545p/kg.
Most reports suggest local factories are paying 540p/kg to 550p/kg to ensure lambs remain in NI.
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