Beef quotes remain in a positive position this week, with most quotes unchanged from last week.

Bullocks are being purchased at €5.15/kg to €5.20/kg, with heifers working off €5.20/kg to €5.25/kg.

More is on the table for those with numbers and regular customers, with some finishers working off 5c/kg to 10c/kg higher than factory quotes this week.

Supplies of finished cattle remain tight, with factories still on the hunt for cattle.

Some have moved to manage the supply by closing the factory back to a four-day-week kill or only working half days to spread out the cattle they have during the week.

Bull trade

The bull trade also remains solid, with €5.30/kg being paid for U grading under-24-month bulls this week in some locations, up 5c/kg on last week’s quotes.

Those with numbers have also been able to squeeze €5.40/kg out of some processors.

R grading bulls are being quoted at €5.20/kg to €5.30/kg, with a little more going to regular suppliers and those with numbers.

O and P grading bulls are trading at 5c/kg to 10c/kg less than this.

Under-16-month bulls are generally working off base prices of €5.15/kg to €5.20/kg.

Cow prices

Well-fleshed P+3 cows are trading this week at €4.15/kg to €4.25/kg, depending on weight and quality.

O grading cows are working off €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg, depending on the processor, while good R grading cows are at €4.40/kg to €4.60/kg.

U grading cows are being quoted at €4.60/kg to €4.80/kg. Young cows and good-quality fleshed suckler cows are being bought at higher prices than factories are quoting, with €4.90/kg paid for young once-calved heifers this week.

All the talk has been on China since the reopening of the Chinese market to Irish beef.

While the news is positive, the Chinese market has been slow to fire again post-COVID and Ireland exported just 3,200t in 2023 before the ban was put in place.

There are some within the industry that say being locked out of the market for close to three of the last four years has meant we have lost valuable ground in terms of asserting ourselves in the market.

It’s a long-play strategy and time will tell if it materialises into a significant market that puts money in farmers' pockets.

Monday is the last day for booking Aberdeen Angus cattle in with the Certified Irish Angus group to avail of the higher 25c/kg bonus during the off-peak season of 1 April to 7 June.