After a numbers of weeks trying to pull back quotes and exerting pressure on the trade, quotes have stabilised this week and, in some cases, improved on last week’s offerings.

Finished cattle supplies have tightened, with last week’s kill dropping by over 800 head.

Numbers are expected to tighten further into May, with an improvement in quotes expected by many for next week. Most bullocks are moving at €7.40/kg to €7.50/kg this week, with heifers being quoted at €7.50/kg to €7.60/kg.

Agents do have more leeway this week to strike deals and higher prices are available for those with numbers and regular sellers.

Hard sellers are also getting more when pressure is applied. Flat prices of €8/kg to €8.10/kg are back on the table for in-spec Aberdeen Angus cattle.

Cows

The cow trade also has a little more life in it this week, although it never really took the hit that prime beef did in the last few weeks.

U grading cows continue to work off a quote of €7.50/kg, with more going to those with numbers.

R grading cows are generally trading at €7.30/kg to €7.40/kg, while O and P grading cows are working off quotes of €6.90/kg and €6.60/kg, depending on the breeding background.

Specialised cow finishers are on considerably higher quotes compared with a farmer with smaller numbers. This is why a lot of finished cows are now being traded through marts, where these specialised finishers are paying over the odds to secure the cows.

Bulls

Bulls are also in demand, with up to €7.80/kg still available at the top end for U grading bulls, working back to €7.20/kg to €7.30/kg for O grading bulls.

Again, larger feeders have been able to hammer out better deals, with €8/kg being paid to one large bull finisher this week for a mix of under-24-month R and U grading heavy bulls.

Under-16-month bulls are generally working off €7.40/kg to €7.50/kg.

Last week’s kill came in at 32,312 head, the lowest full week’s kill since the first week of January.

All categories of stock saw a fall in numbers, with the exception of the young bull kill, which saw a rise of 178 head. The bullock kill saw the largest drop of 478 head in seven days.

Factories would have anticipated the falling numbers based on their predictions earlier in the year and some would say that the price pressure excreted on the trade in April was in anticipation of falling numbers in May and a price rise to get the numbers into their lairages.

When you exclude the calf kill, the cattle kill is up 25,554 head for the first four months of 2025. This will have big implications for later in the year, with Bord Bia predicting a 70,000 drop in the prime cattle kill for 2025, so that’s almost a 100,000 swing or reduction that could take place between now and the end of the year.

That’s 3,000 head/week of a reduction between now and the end of the year if the predictions are correct.

Across the water, prices continue to improve with another 2p to 5p/kg added to quotes for the week ending 26 April. R4L bullocks are coming in at 712/kg (€8.80/kg incl VAT).

The British price has risen week on week over the last six weeks at the same time that Irish processors were reducing quotes for Irish cattle.

Numbers continue to be very tight across the water, with the kill down 2,000 head per week for the last two weeks when compared with the same weeks in 2024.

Sterling has also strengthened in the last two weeks, settling down at 85p/€1, down from 87p/€1 in April.

NI comment

Northern Ireland quotes remain steady, with good appetite for stock from factory agents. Quotes have remained at 686p (€8.48/kg incl VAT), with 690p/kg (€8.53/kg incl VAT) for larger suppliers.