Scottish abattoirs are paying less for steers than in England and Wales, according to the latest Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) figures.

An R4L steer is getting 3p/kg less in Scotland than in England and Wales.

Scotch steers are getting 5p/kg less than in northern English abattoirs.

The amount being paid to farmers for an R grading continental steer carcase is still around £4.05/kg, which has been unchanged for weeks.

For the week ending 19 February, the official AHDB price for an R4L carcase is £4.12/kg, up 3p. Same-grade heifers were £4.15/kg, which is up 3p on the week.

Dairy steers averaged £1.67/kg, down 15p

The young bull price is £3.99kg deadweight, up 1p. Cows grading O-4L were £3.06/kg, which is up 8p on the week.

United Auctions in Stirling sold 1,305 store cattle last week, with steers averaging £2.66/kg, up 31p, and heifers £2.50/kg, up 22p. Dairy steers averaged £1.67/kg, down 15p. Huntly sold steers for an average of £2.46/kg and heifers for £2.36/kg.

The highest price per kg was £3.07/kg for a pen of five Charolais-cross steers weighing 360kg

Thainstone sold 1,303 stores, with an average of £2.50/kg for steers, down 5p, and £2.46kg for heifers, down 3p. The sale had a top price of £1,550 for a pen of three 634kg Limousin-cross steers. The highest price per kg was £3.07/kg for a pen of five Charolais-cross steers weighing 360kg.

St Boswell’s Mart sold steers for an average of £2.53/kg and heifers at £2.43/kg. Caledonian Mart in Stirling sold store steers for an average of £2.29/kg and heifers averaged £2.21/kg. The top price was £2.82/kg for a pen of Limousin steers.

Prime steers averaged £2.36/kg in the live ring, up 8p, and heifers averaged £2.49/kg, up 10p on the week. Cull beef-sired cows averaged £1.65/kg, up 6p, and dairy cull cows averaged £1.32/kg, up 8p.

Hogget trade

Scotch hoggets in abattoirs have tumbled to below £5.60/kg for R grading carcases up to 22kg. The live trade also took a knock, with marts averaging between £2.44/kg and £2.66/kg liveweight.

Heavy hoggets fell nearly £10/head, with an average of £2.37/kg last week, putting a 52kg hogget at £123/head. The AHDB price for R3L hoggets across the UK is £5.88/kg, which is down 3p/kg for the week ending 12 February.

The cull ewe price in Scotland averaged £98/head, which is down £1 for the 6,301 sheep sold.

Thainstone sold store lambs at an average of £78/head to a high of £128/head. Breeding sheep were being sold at £108/kg up to £220/head for one crop of mules.

Fodder sale

Aberdeen Northern Marts sold inside stored barley straw bales for an average of £14.70/bale, down £1.80. Bales of whole crop were sold for an average of £21/bale. Hay bales sold for £29.10/bale, up £3, and haylage sold for £22/bale. Silage bales averaged £24.70/bale, which was up £4.90.