This week sees factory quotes for beef cattle remain steady as weekly supplies of finished cattle remain below last year’s levels and are expected to remain so for the coming number of weeks.
Processors are conscious of the reduced availability of finished cattle which has been forecast for the second quarter of this year and are carefully managing weekly kill numbers in an effort to ensure a relatively consistent supply over the next few weeks, rather than a peak-and-trough scenario.
Conversations with factory agents indicate that processors are surprised that cattle supplies (excluding veal) have managed to remain over 30,000 head in weeks 10, 12 and 13, and just slightly below 30,000 (29,822) in week 11.
The beef kill for week 14 was 30,131 (excluding veal).
Heifers and steer factory price
Heifers are being quoted €5.30-5.35/kg on the grid this week, with some sites opening quotes below this level while other sites are paying more for batches of well-finished heifers.
Steers (bullocks) are being quoted at 5c/kg below heifer price with most sites opening quotes at €5.25-5.30/kg on the grid for steers.
Breed bonuses on eligible Angus and Hereford heifers and steers remain on offer and range from 15-30c/kg at most outlets.
Cows
Cow price remains variable with some outlets paying significantly more than others for all types of cows.
U-grade cows are being quoted at €5.00-5.10/kg with €4.90-5.00/kg being quoted for R-grade cows.
€4.60/kg and €4.70/kg are being quoted for cows grading P and O respectively. Farmers with batches of well-finished cows for sale will manage to secure higher prices per kilo at most outlets.
Bull price
Under-24-month bulls are being quoted at €5.30/kg and €5.40/kg respectively, for bulls grading R and U.
O- and P-grade bulls are being quoted at €5.10/kg and €5.00/kg at most outlets with some scope for negotiation with these lots too.
Under-16-month bulls are being quoted at €5.25/kg on the grid.