In this week’s factory quotes, beef prices continue to rise for all categories of cattle.
Procurement bosses are saying that all orders have been filled for Christmas but the continued rise in quotes suggests that demand for beef remains strong.
While supplies of finished cattle are dropping off from peak kills, numbers are still remaining relatively high, with record numbers of cows processed in the week ending November 27.
Factory quotes: Prime cattle
€4.75/kg on the grid is the general run of prices being quoted for steers this week, with some outlets quoting €4.80/kg on the grid.
Meanwhile, prices ranging from €4.80-4.85/kg on the grid are being quoted for heifers.
A 10c/kg weight bonus is available for in-spec heifers and steers with carcass weights between 300-400kg at one outlet.
This leaves as high as €4.85/kg and €4.90/kg on the grid available for steers and heifers respectively falling into these weight categories.
Cows
There remains to be plenty of variation in price quotes in the cow category this week. Competition for heavy continental cows is very strong at marts across the country, with close to €3/kg liveweight being paid where super cows are on offer.
Cows with a carcass weight above 270kg and a fat score of a 2+ or above, but below a 4+, will be priced at higher rates than cows which fail to fall into this category.
A flat price of €4.60/kg and €4.50/kg is on offer for U- and R-grade cows respectively. €4.30/kg and €4.20/kg are available for O- and P-grade cows respectively, where batches of better-type finished cows are on offer.
Bulls
For under-24-month bulls, flat prices of €4.90/kg and €4.80/kg are on offer for U- and R-grade bulls respectively, with a few cents more per kilo available at some of the better paying outlets.
€4.70-4.75/kg is on offer for the better O-grade bulls, with 10c/kg less on offer for the P-grade bulls.
Finally, €4.80/kg on the grid is being quoted for under-16-month bulls.