Factory quotes: Cattle price on the rise again this week

This week’s factory quotes have seen further increases in the price offerings for all types of cattle, with €5.00/kg ‘all in’ back on the table for in-spec R- and R= grade steers, at some sites.

Cows, bulls, heifers and steers (bullocks) are all in high demand as procurement staff are keen for cattle and appear to be under pressure to fill out kill sheets in the final three weeks ahead of Christmas.

Supplies of finished cattle have been in decline for the past three weeks but weekly kills have been trending ahead of last year for the past five consecutive weeks (up to the week ending November 26).

The overall beef kill (excluding veal) is over 51,500 head below last year to date.

Factory quotes: Heifers and steers

Heifers are being quoted at €4.85/kg on the grid in general this week, with top-prices of €4.90/kg on the grid available choice lots of heifers at some sites.

Steers are being quoted at €4.80/kg on the grid in general. Some factories are opening quotes for this week at slightly lower rates, but will likely have to move up their price offering to fill-out kill sheets with cattle.

Angus and Hereford bonuses remain available on all eligible cattle, and are generally ranging from 10-20c/kg.

A price of €4.80/kg on the grid plus the 20c/kg Quality Payment System (QPS) bonus, would leave €5.00/kg on the table for R- and R= grade cattle, before any breed bonuses (where relevant) were taken into account.

Cow price

Cow price has moved up again this week at most sites, as processors remain keen to secure cow supplies of all types.

U grade cows are being quoted at €4.40-€4.50/kg generally speaking. R grade cows are being quoted at €4.30/kg in general.

O grade cows are being quoted at €4.00-€4.10/kg and P grade cows are being quoted at €3.90-€4.00/kg, generally speaking.

The above cow price quotes are for cows with a carcass weight above 270kg, and a fat score of 2+ or above. More money is being secured for cows in certain cases.