The beef trade has kicked on another 5c to 10c/kg this week for bullocks and heifers. Bullocks are working off a €6.55/kg base price this week, with heifers trading for as high as €6.65/kg base price.
The beef trade has kicked on another 5c to 10c/kg this week for bullocks and heifers.
Bullocks are working off a €6.55/kg base price this week, with heifers trading for as high as €6.65/kg base price.
Aberdeen Angus cattle are trading for as high as €7.10/kg flat.
Factory agents remain very active in marts, with some huge prices of over €4/kg liveweight being paid for cows this week.
Finishers supplying the Kepak/Tirlan group with R grading Aberdeen Angus heifers are getting €7.35/kg beef price this week.
Certified Irish Angus has announced a 30c/kg off-season bonus for its members this spring.
ABP and Kepak, the processor partners of the group, will apply an increased bonus on Aberdeen Angus animals slaughtered between 24 March and 30 May 2025. The bonus will be paid in addition to the in-spec QA bonus of 20c/kg.
The Irish Hereford Prime Beef Producer Group has also confirmed an official bonus of 25c/kg for all Hereford cattle pre-booked this spring and early summer period. The bonus will be available at all ABP and Kepak sites throughout Ireland for both qualifying steers and heifers. It will be available from 24 March to 23 May 2025.
Cows
Cows have taken the biggest jump this week, with €6.40/kg now on the table for well-fleshed R grading cows in the south of the country.
U grading cows are on the same quote in some factories, but more is available where pressure is applied.
O grading suckler cows have made their way up to €6.15/kg in some factories, but, in the main, are working off around €6.10/kg.
O grading dairy cows are being quoted at €5.90/kg, but €6/kg is easily achievable when pressure is applied.
P+3 cows are working off €5.80/kg to €5.90/kg, depending on weight, age, flesh and numbers, with €6/kg paid to a few large feeders for P grading cows.
Bulls
Under-24-month bulls are still working off €6.60/kg to €6.70/kg for U grading bulls and higher where larger numbers are involved.
The best price I heard last week was €7/kg flat for a load of U grading bulls in the southeast of the country.
R grading bulls are at €6.50/kg to €6.60/kg, while O grading bulls are being bought at €6.40/kg to €6.50/kg. Under-16-month bulls are working off a base price of €6.30/kg to €6.40/kg before any QA bonus or grid payments are added.
Kill figures
Last week’s kill came in at 38,526, some 600-plus head behind last week’s kill. The biggest drop off last week came in the bull kill, with over 1,000 fewer bulls killed last week.
The cow kill was up slightly to 9,684 head, with the heifer kill also increasing by over 400 head last week.
Numbers of cattle being exported to Northern for direct slaughter continue to grow, with almost 600 cattle exported for direct slaughter last week.
Further afield
The February cattle on feed report from the USDA shows the number of cattle on feed on 1 February at 11.7 million head, down 1% on the same day in 2024.
All eyes will be on the USA next week as President Trump reiterated the 1 March deadline for imposing a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico.
Northern Ireland
Tight supplies north of the border have resulted in base quotes rising 10p to 15p/kg on last week to 610p to 615p/kg (€7.72/kg to €7.78/kg) for U3 animals. NI agents are scrambling for finished cattle.
Deals have also been done at 620p/kg (€7.85/kg) for full loads of bullocks and heifers. Good-quality suckler cows have also moved up to 510p/kg (€6.45/kg incl VAT) where numbers are involved.
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