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The beef trade is still in holiday mode, with plants slowly getting back to processing activity on Tuesday.
Most cattle for processing early this week are also being supplied by specialist finishers, with many of these deals completed in advance of the Christmas break.
There is no change in prices negotiated, with steers trading on a base of €4.05/kg and heifers on a base of €4.15/kg.
Sellers with smaller numbers are trading at a 3c/kg to 5c/kg lower base, while there have also been deals done, including transport costs for those trading at the higher end of the market.
Young bulls
There is also no change in the trade for young bulls and cows.
R grading bulls are trading from €4.00/kg to €4.05/kg, while U grades are trading anywhere from €4.05/kg to €4.15/kg, with numbers trading and the supplier-processor relationship influencing prices paid.
Friesian bulls are trading from €3.80/kg at the bottom end of the market, rising to €3.90/kg where numbers involved are upwards of 30 to 50 bulls.
Cows
Cow prices are steady. Prices for P+3 grading cows range on average from €3.20/kg to €3.30/kg but there are also prices being paid 5c/kg either side of this price range.
Fleshed O grading cows are trading from €3.30/kg to €3.40/kg and a top of €3.45/kg with R grades ranging on average from €3.50/kg to €3.60/kg. Again, 5c/kg higher has been secured by suppliers of large numbers, with top prices for U grading cows rising to €3.70/kg.
Northern trade
Northern U-3 base quotes also remain unchanged at the pre-Christmas level of £3.50/kg to £3.52/kg (equivalent of €3.95/kg to €3.98/kg at 88.5p to the euro and €4.16/kg to €4.19/kg including VAT at 5.4%).
There are very few cattle moving at this base, however, with a high percentage of cattle continuing to trade from specialist finishers or from deals completed in advance of the Christmas break.
Prices paid in these deals range from the high £3.50s to low £3.60s, with reports of specialist sellers handling very large numbers securing prices rising as high as £3.64/kg to £3.68/kg (€4.32/kg to €4.37/kg incl VAT) to supply cattle over the Christmas season.
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