The question on everybody’s mind at the moment is how high will beef go.

It’s a difficult one and if anyone said before Christmas that we would be knocking on the door of €7/kg for prime cattle, I’d have said not a hope, but we are nearly there.

With beef quotes kicking on again across the water this week, the likelihood is that we’ll hit the €7/kg mark in the next few weeks.

Some of the larger feedlots are already there and when you see what they are paying for short-keep cattle in marts, the beef price is safe for at least another few months.

Supplies of finished cattle are very tight and this is forcing factories to move up quotes just to be able to keep cattle.

Such is the threat of other factories moving in on agreed deals, any cattle sold are moving very fast for fear they will be poached by others.

Quotes

Bullocks are working off a €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg base price, with heifers being bought at €6.30/kg to €6.35/kg base price.

All sorts of deals are being done along with quotes, including cattle haulage being paid for by the factory in a lot of deals.

Flat prices of as high as €6.80/kg are still on the table for large numbers of Aberdeen Angus and Hereford heifers.

Farmers with smaller numbers are easily achieving flat prices of €6.60/kg to €6.70/kg.

Cows

Top-quality cows are coming in close to prime beef prices, with some marts reporting a higher price being paid for young cows than prime heifers in the last few days.

O+ suckler cows are generally working off €5.60/kg to €5.70/kg, while O grading dairy cows are being bought at €5.50/kg to €5.60/kg, depending on the factory.

R grading cows are being quoted at €5.70/kg to €5.80/kg and higher money is available where numbers are involved.

P+3 cows are working off €5.40/kg to €5.50/kg, depending on weight, age and flesh.

Well-fleshed U grading cows continue to command top prices of €6.00/kg to €6.10/kg and over for young, fleshed heavy cows.

Factory agents are paying the equivalent of €6.30/kg deadweight and over it in marts to secure top-quality fleshed cows.

Bulls

Under-24-month bulls are still working off €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg for U grading bulls and higher where larger numbers are involved.

Flat prices of €6.40/kg and over it is on the table where big numbers are involved.

R grading bulls are coming in at €6.10/kg to €6.20/kg, while O grading bulls are being bought at €5.90/kg to €6.00/kg.

Under-16-month bulls are working off a base price of €6.00/kg to €6.10/kg before any QA bonus or grid payments are added.