The beef trade continues to move in a positive direction this week, with cows being the highlight of the trade.

Some factories have increased their quotes by 5c to 10c/kg for cows this week on the back of increased demand and no great flush of cows coming off farms.

Agents are back in marts buying as strong as ever, with some very big money being paid for slaughter-fit cows this week, with €3/kg being recorded in a number of marts.

Bullocks are working off a base price of €5.05/kg, with €5.10 being paid on a few occasions this week.

Heifers are working off a base price of €5.10/kg to €5.15/kg, with a lot more heifers being bought at €5.15/kg this week.

As always, more money is on the table for those with numbers and regular customers.

Aberdeen Angus bonuses vary across the country, with the highest bonus being paid out at 30c/kg for in-spec bullocks and heifers.

Processors are becoming increasingly concerned about supplies towards the end of the year, particularly for November, when factories traditionally kill a lot cattle for the Christmas trade. A number of big feeders have got the nod this week to fill sheds for a November finish.

Cows

O+ suckler cows are generally working off €4.50/kg to €4.65/kg, while O grading dairy cows are being bought at €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg, depending on the part of the country you are in.

R grading cows are being quoted at €4.75/kg to €4.80/kg and higher money is available where numbers are involved.

Farmers should bargain hard for better prices, especially where cows have good flesh cover and good weight. Those with numbers are also in a strong position for selling for the next few weeks.

P+3 cows are working off €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg, depending on weight, age and flesh cover.

The mart trade is still a good option for farmers with smaller numbers of cows, with agents still very active for heavy well-fleshed cows.

Bulls

Under-24-month bulls are still working off a €5.35/kg to €5.40/kg base price for U grading bulls.

R grading bulls are coming in at €5.20/kg to €5.30/kg, while O grading bulls are being bought at €5.00/kg to €5.10/kg.

P grading bulls are working off €5.00/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Under-16-month bulls are generally working off a €5.00/kg to €5.10/kg base price.

Last week’s kill came in at 33,023 head, an increase of 1,000 on the previous week, with the majority of that increase coming from extra cows being killed.

The heifer kill remained steady at 8,741, a similar number to last week. The cow kill saw a lift last week on the back of better prices, with 7,302 cows being killed last week, up almost 700 head on the previous week.

The bullock kill also crossed the 15,000 head mark for the first time in 2024.

The 2024 cattle kill is currently running 12,594 head of cattle ahead of the 2023 kill.

Cows are the main driver of the increase, with an extra 25,000 cows killed so far in 2024.

Looking across the water, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board is reporting more increases in the British beef price in the last few weeks, with R4L bullocks now coming in at 502p/kg (€6.31/kg incl VAT).

This puts the current price differential between Britain and Ireland at 90c/kg or €297 on a 330kg carcase.

NI comment

Base quotes are up 2p to 476p/kg (€5.83/kg inc VAT) at Northern Ireland plants, with prices for prime steers and heifers generally 15p to 20p/kg above this level at 490p to 494p/kg (€6 to €6.05/kg), with higher prices paid to specialist finishers.