Abattoirs are keen to pull the price in Scottish slaughter houses, but a tight supply is steadying trade.

Many continental carcases this week were getting paid £3.85 to £3.90/kg for up to 400kg, but there is still talk of the price being pulled down.

The official Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) price for R grading steers for the week ending 30 January was £3.92/ kg, which is unchanged on the week.

Same-grade heifers were the at the same price, which is down 1p/kg. The young bull price jumped 11p/kg to £3.73/kg, but only 276 were slaughtered in Scotland.

Thainstone sold over 1,000 store cattle

Finished cows were reported by the AHDB at £2.67/kg for an 0-4, which is up 2/kg. United Auctions in Stirling sold 150 cull cows and bulls last week to an average of £1.37/kg for beef types and dairy cows went for £1.21/kg.

Thainstone sold over 1,000 store cattle, with steers averaging £2.43/kg and heifers £2.39/kg.

United Auctions sold 989 store cattle, where steers averaged £2.30/kg, dairy steers averaged £1.90/kg, heifers average £2.22/kg and young bulls £2.35/kg.

Sheep trade rising again

Hogget prices jumped back up around 15p/kg this week, with the Monday live sales averaging £2.72/kg at Ayr, £2.72 at St Boswells and £2.69/kg at Lanark.

Tuesday’s sales at Dingwall, Stirling and Caste Douglas averaged around £2.60 to £2.70/kg for medium-weight hoggets.

Abattoirs will need to be quoting above £5.70/kg to compete with the marts.

The market was rising until the middle of January, where it peaked at £87/head

The official AHDB price for across GB was £5.60/kg for an R3L carcase, which is down 18p/kg.

The average price of a cull ewe in Scotland is £79/head, with big fleshy ewes regularly making over £110/head. The market was rising until the middle of January, where it peaked at £87/head.

Numbers are likely to continue to be strong as ewes found barren at scanning are sent to market.

Store lamb slipping

Over 1,000 store lambs were sold this week in Thainstone to an average of £87.84/head, with a top price of £118.

Caledonian Mart sold 895 store lambs to an average of £80.06/head.

Fodder sale

Fodder sale Aberdeen and Northern Marts held a fodder sale, with inside barley 4x4 bales still trading at £12/bale.

Inside hay was back down by £1.50/bale to £12/bale and haylage was back up £2.50/bale to £12.50/bale.

Baled silage dropped for the second week by £1/bale to £8 per bale.

Carlisle also held a fodder sale where the top price for mini Heston bales was £134/t and round bales were making up to £32/bale.

Mini hestons of hay were selling for £28/bale and round bales were selling up to £36/bale.