What cattle farmers want for Christmas: €4/kg

Steer prices edged closer to €4/kg at factories this week.

The pre-Christmas trade is traditionally one of the busiest periods for processors, and demand is outstripping cattle supplies, which are averaging 3,000 head per week behind 2011.

Securing stock for Christmas orders will peak over the next two or three weeks, and there is growing optimism among cattle farmers that prices will harden further.