It’s been another very positive week in the beef trade, with factories continuing to buy cattle for this week and indeed the next two weeks with the Christmas break taking place next week.

This is the last full week of processing for all factories, with most planning to slaughter cattle on Monday 23 December and Friday 27 December.

Most are also planning three or four days of slaughtering for the last week of the year.

Bullocks are working off a base price of €5.50/kg in most factories this week.

There are still a few trying to buy at lower prices, but when pressure is applied all are improving by 5c to 10c/kg on the quoted prices.

Heifers are working off a €5.55/kg to €5.60/kg base price, with more going to those with numbers. Aberdeen Angus cattle are sought after, with 30c/kg of a bonus being paid on in-spec Aberdeen Angus cattle.

Cows

Well-fleshed cows are in big demand, with the manufacturing beef trade continuing on a very strong footing.

This is expected to continue into 2025, as shoppers switch to cheaper cuts at the beginning of the new year.

Quotes are increasing by the day for cows, with huge appetite out there for well-fleshed heavy cows.

O+ suckler cows are generally working off €5.10/kg to €5.20/kg, while O grading dairy cows are being bought at €5.00/kg to €5.05/kg, depending on which factory you are dealing with.

R grading cows are being quoted at €5.25/kg to €5.35/kg and higher money is available where numbers are involved.

P+3 cows are working off €4.80/kg to €4.90/kg, depending on weight, age and flesh.

Well-fleshed U grading cows continue to command top prices of €5.50/kg to €5.60/kg and over for young, fleshed heavy cows.

Bulls

Under-24-month bulls are still working off a €5.70/kg to €5.90/kg base price for U grading bulls and higher where larger numbers are involved.

Flat prices of €6/kg and over it are on the table where big numbers are involved. I have even heard of an odd bull being mistakenly priced as a bullock and paid on the grid this week.

R grading bulls are coming in at €5.60/kg to €5.70/kg, while O grading bulls are being bought at €5.35/kg to €5.45/kg.

P grading bulls are working off €5.25/kg to €5.30/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Under-16-month bulls are generally working off €5.30/kg to €5.40/kg base price before the additional in-spec bonus is applied.

Last week’s kill came in at 38,493 head. This was down almost 1,000 head on the previous week and almost an identical number to the same week in 2023.

The current situation with the national kill for 2024 is that we are running 75,454 head ahead of the 2023 kill.

The majority of this lift is coming from cows and heifers, with the cow kill up over 40,000 head on the 2023 number.

The number of bullocks being killed dropped by 1,000 head last week and that’s the fourth week in a row we have seen the bullock kill drop, pointing to tight supplies of prime cattle.

The heifer kill is also dropping, with heifers down 600 head last week. Across the water, the price rises keep on coming, with another 2p to 3p/kg in the British market this week, with concerns in processor circles about empty factory chills as we head into 2025. R4L bullocks are coming in at 550p/kg (€7.00/kg incl VAT) this week in Britain.

Northern comment

Quotes are up 8p/kg to 508p/kg (€6.14/kg inc VAT) for U3 cattle, with deals running from 516p to 520p/kg (€6.51 to €6.57/kg) for in-spec steers and heifers.

Cull cows are also rising in value, with deals of 410p to 430p/kg (€5.17 to €5.42/kg) on good suckler types.