After a number of weeks where factories had the upper hand when it came to supply and demand, the trade appears to have finally turned the corner this week.

Some factories have had to up their quotes, with some factories increasing quotes by as much as 10c/kg this week.

Bullocks are working off €5.05/kg to €5.10/kg, with a lot more bullocks being purchased at €5.10/kg this week.

Heifers are being quoted at €5.10/kg to €5.20/kg, with some heifers being paid out at as high as €5.30/kg this week.

Finished cattle numbers continue to trend downwards, with agents expecting a tight couple of weeks coming to secure enough cattle supplies for weekly kills in factories.

Bull trade

The young bull trade remains pretty steady, with €5.25/kg on the table for U grading young bulls in some of the factories specialising in bulls.

R grading bulls are moving at €5.10/kg to €5.15/kg, while O and P grading bulls are being paid out at 10c to 20c/kg less.

Under-16-month bulls are generally working off €5.10/kg to €5.15/kg base price, with the 12c/kg in-spec bonus being added in along with grading for the final price.

Cull cows

Cull cows also remain a very solid trade, despite the increased number of cows coming on the market.

U grading suckler cows are still top of the market, with €4.70/kg to €4.80/kg being paid for good-quality young well-fleshed cows this week.

R grading cows are working off €4.40/kg to €4.50/kg, with O grading suckler cows coming in at €4.30/kg, while P grading cows are working off €4.00/kg to €4.10/kg, depending on weight and flesh cover.

Prices across the water remain very steady, with supply and demand well balanced. R4L bullocks remain at £4.98/kg (€6.04/kg) in the UK, up 15p/kg on the same week in 2023.