Christmas demand from UK supermarkets drives trade for beef

Beef market report

An in-calf Aberdeen Angus (118 months old) which weighed 625kg and sold for €1,120, in a clearance sale at Macroom Mart last Saturday.

Demand for beef in the UK continues to underpin the trade for cattle at the factories, where getting as many as possible processed ahead of Christmas seems to be a priority.

Demand from the supermarket trade, which requires hanging of the carcase for 21-28 days, is maintaining pressure on procurement officers at the meat plants, with some processors now working extended hours in order to handle big intakes.