Factory prices are in a steady position for this week with cattle quotes generally holding at the same levels as last week across the board.
Christmas kills are expected to get underway soon, as orders will ramp up and buyers will be filling fridges with beef to have for the festive season.
Starting with heifers and a base-price of €4.20/kg seems to be the general run this week, with €4.25/kg still available on the higher end of the scale.
Looking at steer price this week and €4.15 – €4.20/kg is the general run there.
Breed bonuses are still available on both Angus and Hereford cattle and farmers should inquire about agreements on possible weight bonuses and haulage costs.
Demand for beef is strong – both in the home market and abroad. The UK remains particularly anxious for beef and is expected to continue that way in the run up to the Christmas season and beyond.
Taking a look at cow price, €3.95 and €3.85/kg is what’s on offer for U and R-grade cows respectively this week, with €3.65 and €3.55/kg being quoted for O and P-grade cows respectively.
A well-fleshed cow scoring a ‘+’ in its respective grade can secure more money and farmers should be conscious of this when bringing cows to the factory.
Under-24 month bulls are again seeing a little more variation in both price and interest from processors around the country, with some factories having plenty of jobs for bull-beef, with others citing ‘no interest at all’ in them.
Despite this, processors are quoting a flat price of €4.10 and €4.20/kg for R and U-grade bulls respectively, with good deals being done on bulls with suitable weights and fat scores making the ‘+’ in their respective grades.
Finally, under-16 month bulls seem to be coming in at €4.15 on the grid.
Last week’s kill figures will be made public tomorrow and it will be interesting to see if there has been any movement in beef kill figures.