Factories are really beginning to struggle for cattle supplies, with finished cattle numbers evaporating. Large numbers of finished cattle are moving across the border for further feeding and direct slaughter and this is causing a major issue for some processors in terms of filling weekly contracts.
Factories are really beginning to struggle for cattle supplies, with finished cattle numbers evaporating.
Large numbers of finished cattle are moving across the border for further feeding and direct slaughter and this is causing a major issue for some processors in terms of filling weekly contracts.
It’s good news for finishers and in particular winter finishers, who have lost money year on year up to 2025.
Bullock and heifer quotes continue to move by the day, with €7.30/kg to €7.40/kg of a base quote now on the table for bullocks and €7.40/kg to €7.50/kg being quoted for heifers.
Some finishers dealing with larger numbers have been able to secure a base quote of €7.60/kg.
Aberdeen Angus heifers being sold through factory producer groups are over €8/kg now, but the majority of cattle are being sold on a flat-rate basis at the moment.
Flat deals of €8/kg have been paid out to larger finishers this week. Flat pricing is so common now, it’s hard to see how factories and farmers can ever get back to the same level of grid pricing in the future.
Cows
Cows continue to move in a positive direction, with €7/kg now on the table for well-fleshed R grading cows in the south of the country and €7.10/kg where bigger numbers are involved.
U grading cows are up to €7.20/kg to €7.30/kg, with O grading suckler cows making their way up to €6.80/kg to €6.90/kg in some factories.
O grading dairy cows are being quoted at €6.50/kg to €6.60/kg. P+3 cows are working off €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg, depending on weight, age, flesh and numbers, with €6.60/kg paid to large feeders.
Bulls
Under-24-month bulls are still working off €7.30/kg to €7.40/kg for U grading bulls and higher where larger numbers are involved.
Flat prices as high as €7.50/kg have been paid to some larger suppliers for mixes of U and R grading bulls.
R grading bulls are at €7.10/kg to €7.20/kg, while O grading bulls are being bought at €6.90/kg to €7.00/kg. Under-16-month bulls are working off €7.10/kg to €7.20/kg on the grid.
Last week’s kill came in at 31,269, down from 37,281 the previous week on the back of St Patrick’s Day.
The bull kill dropped to a very low figure of just 1,662 bulls killed last week. This is the lowest kill for the year to date. The bull kill for the year to date has been pretty stable, with just over 32,000 killed compared with a similar figure of 33,000 killed for the same period in 2024.
The bullock kill came in at 11,582. In terms of year to date, the bullock kill is tracking ahead of 2024 figures to the tune of about 5,000 head.
Across the water in Britain, finished cattle numbers continue to be extremely tight, with last week’s kill back 2,000 head on the previous week.
The value of imports of Irish beef is up going to the UK. However, in volume terms, it’s back by over 20% for the beginning of the year.
Beef quotes are up another 10p/kg this week in Britain, with 686p/kg (€8.68/kg incl VAT) now on the table for R4L bullocks. Scottish prices are now heading for £7/kg (€8.76/kg incl VAT) on the back of tight supplies and huge demand.
Further afield, declining cattle numbers in the USA will underpin prices according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s latest outlook, with production expected to be down 2% on 2024 levels to 12 million tonnes.
Beef prices are currently at a high of €7/kg, up 14% year on year. With the USA being a major driver of global trade, tight supplies bode well for the global beef market in 2025.
NI comment
NI quotes have also jumped, with £6.65/kg (€8.32/kg incl VAT) now on the table for in-spec stock.
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