Scottish abattoirs have put 10p/kg on clean cattle this week as tight numbers mean processors are chasing livestock.

Many abattoirs are paying £3.60/kg for an R4L grade steer under 400kg. Factory agents are phoning round farmers looking for cattle to kill and the indications are that the price could rise again next week.

Some abattoirs are offering no discount for bulls, which represents a 30p/kg rise in price over the last three weeks. The last price change of such a swift pace was in July 2015.

The official AHDB price increased by 11p to £3.57/kg for an R4L steer in Scotland for the week ending 23 May.

The ADHB reports that R4L grading heifers rose by 10p to £3.58/kg, with same-grade young bulls also up by 13p to £3.44/kg.

Cows grading O-4L jumped by 2p to £2.54/kg.

The number of store cattle sold through the live ring was 2,139, which is down over 2,400 head on the week.

Ayr Mart sold 427 store cattle to an average of £829/head. The national average was £812/head, down £4 on the previous week.

Sheep

Finished hoggets in the live ring were trading at £1.87/kg for medium-weight lots, which is down 25p/kg on the week.

Heavier hoggets have followed a similar pattern, with prices down 15p/kg to an average of £1.87/kg.

In total, 6,928 hoggets were sold through the prime live ring, a drop of 3,528 on the previous week.

Over 2,611 new-season lambs were sold through the prime ring in Scotland, with an average price of £2.51/kg recorded, down 5p/kg on the week.

Meanwhile, abattoirs are paying £5.40/kg deadweight for R grade new season lambs.

The live ring also recorded 3,521 ewes sold last week, up by 400 on the previous week. The average price paid was fell £8/head to £67/head.