Beef finishers have endured another damaging week’s trading, with prices falling by another 10c/kg. This leaves steers and heifers trading on a base of €3.40/kg. This represents a reduction of 40c/kg to 45c/kg on the corresponding period in 2019, which should be noted was a drop of 15c/kg to 20c/kg on previous years for April trading.

It is no surprise that finishers are extremely frustrated, with losses from winter finishing mounting. Producers with stock deemed out of spec are facing an even tougher trading environment, with factory appetite low for cattle killing at heavy carcase weights and overage cattle.

Many plants are cutting prices by 10c/kg where cattle are killing in excess of 420kg, with another 10c/kg cut above 450kg carcase weight.

Producers with overage and overweight cattle are facing an increasingly long period from booking in to slaughter, with some sellers managing to get small numbers away when traded with larger lots of in-spec stock.

The kill is finally starting to tighten significantly, with last week’s throughput recorded at 30,371 head. This is a reduction of 4,876 head, with 1,475 of this stemming from a drop in the calf kill. Calf throughput of 1,368 head is still 783 above the corresponding week in 2019, so the kill of mature cattle has dropped under the 30,000 mark.

The big changes comparing 2020 and 2019 are last week’s bull kill of 2,479 head running 2,344 lower, while heifer throughput of 9,389 head is down 1,502 heifers.

Reduced demand for calves is contributing to the cow throughput of 5,660 head running 998 lower, while there were 619 fewer steers handled at 11,261 head.

Agents report that numbers are starting to dry up in some areas and finishers will hope this will help to at least stem the recent downward trend in price.

Factory appetite is being curtailed by two shorter weeks of killing, with agents in cases remaining slow to finalise deals for next Tuesday.

Young bulls and cows have also been hit with another 10c/kg cut in price. R grading bulls are trading in general from €3.30/kg to €3.35/kg this week, while U grading bulls are moving from €3.40/kg to €3.45/kg.

There are 5c/kg higher prices quoted in places, but it is confined to those handling large numbers and in most cases producing bulls to a tight specification.

Again, heavy-carcase bulls are in low demand, with factories accepting small numbers from sellers.

Cow prices are running anywhere from 20c/kg to 40c/kg behind the corresponding period in 2019, with a significant variation between plants in prices paid.

P+3 grading cows are quoted anywhere from €2.25/kg at the bottom end of the market to €2.40/kg to €2.45/kg. O grades range from €2.50/kg to €2.60/kg, while R grades average €2.70/kg to €2.75/kg.

Northern trade

Prices in Northern Ireland’s plants have fallen back by 6p/kg to 8p/kg more. U-3 steer and heifer quotes are generally in the region of £3.16/kg to £3.18/kg. This equates to €3.59/kg to €3.62/kg at 87.9p to the euro and €3.79/kg to €3.81/kg when VAT at 5.4% is added.

The trade of cattle from south to north has ceased with no stock crossing the border in the last two weeks for direct slaughter.

British prices are holding stronger, with the AHDB reporting last week’s average R4L steer trading at £3.47/kg (€4.16/kg incl VAT).