The price for an R4L steers has lifted by 1p and now sits level with the R4L heifer price of £3.82/kg.
In terms of numbers, 3,624 steers were slaughtered, up 38.7% from last week, and there was nearly an 80% increase in heifer numbers up to 3,038, as abattoirs become move active following a quiet festive period.
In fact, the kill this week is 4% higher than for the first full week of the year 2017.
There has been a drop of 14p to £3.55/kg for R4L young bulls, but the volume being traded is relatively small, which leads to the volatility. Cull cows that graded at O+4L were securing a price of £2.76/kg, which is also down slightly, by 3p/kg.
Looking at the situation on the continent, beef production has remained the same for 2017 at 6.4 million tonnes, but there has been a shift in the dynamic.
The four largest producers, the UK, France, Germany and Italy, experienced reduced production, but have been compensated for by increases in Ireland, Poland and the Netherlands.
SHARING OPTIONS: