The beef trade is steady, with little change to prices this week, with most abattoirs still quoting £3.40 to £3.45/kg for steers at R4L conformation. At the outlined prices, cattle are down £100/head on the year.

The official AHDB price is sitting at £3.51/kg for an R4L steer in Scotland, which is down 1p/kg on the week. Same-grade heifers are up 3p to £3.51/kg, while same-grade young bulls are up 3p to £3.34/kg. Cows at O-4L grade are up 2p/kg on the week to £2.40/kg, with fleshier cows making closer to £2.65/kg.

The official AHDB deadweight hogget price is still at £4.52/kg for R3L grading animals, which is the same as last week. Finished sheep sold in the live ring averaged £2.10/kg for medium-weight lots, up 4p/kg. Heavier lots were up 3p to £2.02/kg, on the back of a strong butcher trade.

Over 6,511 ewes were sold, broadly on par with throughput numbers during the week previous

In total, 19,649 hoggets were sold through the prime live ring, down just under 1,000 head on the week. Over 6,511 ewes were sold, broadly on par with throughput numbers during the week previous. The average price was back £2 to £77/head.

The national average for store lambs was £66/head, up £1 on the week for 6,770 sold, an increase of almost 1,000. Thainstone sold the most sheep, with over 2,000 stores sold through their ring at an average £71, with continentals averaging over £73.

Across Scotland, continentals made £70, down £4.50 on the week. Cheviots made £61, up £3, while Blackface stores made £60, up £5 on the week.

The number of store cattle sold through the ring was up by 200 head to 3,717. United Auctions sold the most, at just over 1,000 head with sale prices averaging £907. The national average was £923/head, up £33.