A number of processors moved their quotes upwards on Monday morning, with good factory demand especially for heifers.

Those sitting on €4.30/kg for heifers last week have moved their quotes up 5c/kg to a €4.35/kg base, with €4.30/kg now few and far between for heifers across the country.

Bullocks have stayed pretty similar to last week with quotes ranging from €4.25/kg to €4.30/kg. Higher prices have been reported, with €4.35/kg paid for bullocks where heifers were also involved in the same load.

Aberdeen Angus bonuses remain at a high of 25c/kg. Flat prices for in-spec Aberdeen Angus heifers are now at €4.60/kg to €4.70/kg all-in for R and O grades.

Cow price

A number of specialised cow operators are still very active to secure supplies, with €4.00/kg being paid for good R grading cows and 10c more for U grading cows.

O grading cows are coming in at €3.70/kg to €3.75/kg. Better suckler O grades are pushing into €3.80/kg if part of a load.

P+3 cows are being quoted at €3.60/kg to €3.70/kg, with lighter cows lacking flesh coming in at around €3.50/kg.

Top-quality heavy cows (over 800kg) are making the equivalent of €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg in marts, with a lot of agents competing for suitable factory-fit cows.

Bulls have seen a slight improvement on the week, with a number of factories now paying out at €4.40/kg for under-24-month U grading bulls, with €4.30/kg on the table for R grading bulls

Under-16-month bulls are still working off €4.25/kg on the grid.

The shift in quotes comes as the UK saw its December kill of cattle drop 9% when compared with December 2020.

According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, UK beef production finished 5% lower in terms of tonnes produced for 2021 compared with 2020.

This is a positive for Irish beef sales and will continue to be for the next few months, as production in the UK isn’t expected to recover to a great extent in 2022.