Factory agents remain hungry for cattle, with quotes remaining on a similar level to last week in most factories this week.

Bullocks are working off a base of €5.00/kg to €5.05/kg, while heifers are working off a base price of €5.10/kg to €5.15/kg.

Breed bonuses of up to 30c/kg are also still being paid out for Aberdeen Angus in-spec cattle.

Hereford cattle, once booked through the Hereford Prime group, will attract a 25c/kg bonus from 14 October 2024 for a period of five weeks.

Factory agents continue to be very active around mart rings, purchasing cattle fit for slaughter and also purchasing cattle for filling feedlots.

Factories remain anxious for the Christmas kill, with a lull in supplies expected in the run-up to Christmas.

Record numbers of cattle continue to be slaughtered out of controlled finishing units this year, with an extra 18,500 cattle slaughtered out of these units so far in 2024.

Cows

O+ suckler cows are generally working off €4.50/kg to €4.65/kg, while O grading dairy cows are being bought at €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg, depending where you are.

R grading cows are being quoted at €4.70/kg to €4.80/kg and higher money is available where numbers are involved.

P+3 cows are working off €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg, depending on weight, age and flesh cover.

Well-fleshed U grading cows continue to command a top price of €5/kg and over for young fleshed heavy cows.

Bulls

Under-24-month bulls are still working off a €5.35/kg to €5.40/kg base price for U grading bulls.

R grading bulls are coming in at €5.20/kg to €5.30/kg, while O grading bulls are being bought at €5.00/kg to €5.15/kg. P grading bulls are working off €5.00/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Under-16-month bulls are generally working off a €5.00/kg to €5.10/kg base price.

The young bull kill remains very low, with just over 1,200 young bulls killed last week.

Taking a look back at the same week in 2023, we are currently running about 40c/kg ahead of beef quotes this time last year.

The UK trade is running over 50c/kg ahead of this time last year, while the EU trade is up about 40c/kg as well.

Kill figures

Last week’s kill took another big jump, with the kill coming in at 39,792 head, up just over 1,400 head up on the previous week. The bullock kill saw the biggest lift, up over 1000 head on the previous week.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Irish Farmers’ Association livestock chair Declan Hanrahan said: “R3 male cattle prices in the UK are now over €1/kg above our price, with the EU young bull price 20c/kg above ours.

“These prices combine to create a differential of 47c/kg, which is heading for the biggest gap between our price and the export benchmark price since Bord Bia started compiling the figures.

“There is no justification for this level of divergence in our key export markets. Supplies of beef cattle are not meeting factory demand and are predicted to tighten further over the coming weeks and months, where throughput is expected to be back 30,000 head on the same period in 2023.

“Farmers with cattle to sell should not be misled by factories or their agents.”

NI comment

Quotes on prime cattle are up 2p to 478p/kg (€5.93/kg inc VAT) for U-3 grading animals, but plants are opening on 496p/kg (€6.15/kg), with deals of 500p/kg (€6.20/kg) becoming more common this week.

Young bulls are on deals around 490p/kg (€6.08/kg), but higher prices are available for in-spec animals. Cull cows are moving close to 400p/kg (€4.96/kg) for good-quality suckler types.