It’s another case of status quo this week in the beef trade, with supply and demand remaining tentatively poised, leaving no real wriggle room for the trade to move in either direction. Last week’s kill-out was another strong one, with just over 36,000 cattle killed. Speaking to agents on the ground, numbers are expected to tighten quite considerably in the next two to three weeks among the larger operators, with big numbers on hand. More traditional smaller operators' finished cattle stocks are drying up fast, with the last of these shed cattle out of the system by the end of April.

General quotes

The general run of quotes is €4.80/kg to €4.85/kg base price for heifers, while bullocks are working off €4.75/kg to €4.80/kg.

Meanwhile, €4.85/kg has been paid for mixes of good bullocks and heifers this week and those with numbers are in the driving seat, as factories are very eager to do business with those with numbers.

Flat prices for R=R- Aberdeen Angus heifers are hitting as high as €5.35/kg this week. There were some rumours of a delay in getting cattle killed in the south of the country, but this has proven to be unfounded, with all factories extremely anxious for stock.

Cow prices

U-grading cows are still hitting €4.60/kg to €4.70/kg, as those with high numbers of good cows were able to squeeze a little more out of the market.

R-grading cows are trading for as high as €4.50/kg, with good O-grading cows coming in at €4.40/kg.

Well fleshed P+3 cows have been paid at €4.30/kg this week, just to secure other cattle as part of a load.

The mart is still the best choice for good-quality cows if you are selling small numbers. Most factories have active agents competing for stock in marts around the country and some very big prices (close to €3/kg) are being paid in some cases for the right type of stock.

Bulls

Bulls are also in demand, with U-grading bulls now up at €4.95/kg in a couple of factories. R-grading bulls are working off €4.80/kg to €4.85/kg, depending on flesh cover.

Across the water, beef price took a big jump for the week ending 2 April 2022. AHDB reported a 10p/kg increase in the young bull price on the previous week.

This brings last week’s price up to 414p/kg or €5.20/kg for young bulls. R4L heifers were also up 6p/kg last week, coming into a price of €5.47/kg including VAT.

Further afield across Europe, the beef trade is on fire, with U3 young bulls at €6.08/kg in Germany last week. This time last year, German and US young bulls were trading at €4.04/kg. The Netherlands' beef market is also hitting new heights, with R3 heifers currently trading at €5.50/kg.

Around the world, a shortage of Visual Lean (VL) product is driving world beef prices, with both Brazil and the US capitalising on the increased global demand.