The general vibe for beef quotes this week is that the ship is holding steady; however, there are some plants trying to implement change.

There has been a slight blip in prices quoted by some plants this week, as talk began last Friday of some processors reducing quotes.

It can be hard to know whether it’s a case of plants getting access to cattle more easier or they are simply applying pressure in order to reduce prices.

Some plants are working off a reduced kill this week, while others have mentioned that supplies of processed meat is becoming a challenge to ship through ports.

Quotes for heifers are still reaching €3.85/kg, although some processors are choosing to quote €3.80/kg base prices for both heifers and steers. Some quotes of €3.75/kg for steers have also been received.

The cow trade is still holding firm, with well-fleshed P-grades continuing to be priced around the €3.00/kg mark, while O-grades are priced between €3.10-3.20/kg.

R-grades are valued upwards from €3.30-3.40/kg by procurement managers. The high quality U-grades are priced at €3.50/kg.

The appetite that has been seen for bulls in previous weeks has eased somewhat this week in some plants.

In the bull trade, under-24-month-old bulls are remaining valued at €3.65-3.70/kg for O-grades, €3.80/kg for R-grades, while €3.85/kg is being achieved for U-grades.

Procurement managers are pricing under-16-month-old bulls at €3.70-3.75/kg this week.

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Beef kill

The total beef kill for last week reached 31,143 head (excluding veal); this was slightly down from the previous week by 192 head.

Taking a look at steers first of all, these took the largest share of the kill as figures processed amounted to 10,548 head. Comparing this to the same week in 2020, numbers are back by 1,396 head.

Furthermore, heifers are also back by 1,406 head compared to the same time last year, as a total of 10,136 head were slaughtered last week.

Meanwhile, cows received a weekly rise of 110 head, with 6,511 head being killed last week.

There were an additional 163 head of young bulls slaughtered compared to the previous week, as numbers reached 3,578 head.

Week-on-week beef kill changes:

  • Steers: 10,548 head (-146 head);
  • Heifers: 10,136 head (-422 head);
  • Cows: 6,511 head (+110 head);
  • Young bulls: 3,578 head (+163 head);
  • Bulls: 370 head (-103 head);
  • Total: 31,143 head (-192 head).