More leeway in quotes as agents actively look for cattle

Quotes for finished cattle are starting off this week at a similar pitch to where last week’s quotes ended off.

Bullocks are working off a €7.10/kg quote, with heifers working off a €7.20/kg base price.

Flat prices are back in vogue, with a few deals done north of €7.50/kg last week for bigger loads of cattle.

Agents are actively seeking out finished cattle, with many ringing around looking to see what cattle are in yards and when they will be coming on stream.

There also appears to be a little more leeway in quotes and weights along with haulage being thrown into the deal to get cattle across the line.

The majority of Aberdeen Angus bonuses are working off 20c/kg, with factories generally paying a 15c/kg Hereford bonus.

Mart trade

Dry cows are also being sought after, with mart managers reporting an increased demand for well-fleshed dry cows over the weekend.

Mart also report dry cows being a better trade on the back of a number of agents looking for slaughter-fit cows working both ringside and online.

Fleshed cows hit as high as €4.25/kg at the weekend in some marts.

Cow trade

The cow trade is also steady, with R grading cows being priced at €6.80/kg to €6.90/kg.

U grading cows are still trading at €7/kg to €7.10/kg, while O grading cows are being bought for €6.60/kg to €6.70/kg.

P+3 cows are back a little further, with some factories trying to purchase P+3 cows at €6.20/kg to €6.30/kg.

Bulls

Bulls have probably held the best out of all categories of stock, with R grading bulls still coming in at €7.25/kg and U grading bulls at €7.40/kg.

Specialised bull finishers have been able to squeeze a little more out of some processors.

Under-16-month bulls are working off a €7/kg to €7.10/kg base price to go on the grid. Bull finishers are finishing into heavier weights with the average.