Angus and Hereford top demand for beef trade

Six March '22 born Angus cross bullocks, averaging 555kg, which sold for €1,490 each a couple of weeks ago in Macroom Mart. Picture: O'Gorman Photography.

Demand for well-finished cattle at the factories has hit a level that few within the trade anticipated with any reasonable measure of confidence.

Finishers are reporting a scale of demand from the factories for cattle this week, such that they have not experienced for some time.

Intake for last week was strong at 38,533 head, which was around 4,000 head more than for the same week last year, but was not sufficient to ease the pressure on the country's processors to secure even more for this week's kill.

And it is now understood that several of the processing plants are under pressure to cut short the holiday season and operate for up to three days next week to maintain supplies to their markets.

It is a very welcome end of the season for producers with finished cattle who are benefiting from the competition between processors to ensure a continuation of the upward movement on the prices.

Quoted prices for all categories of supply have further hardened for this week. Leading the trend are the steers and heifers. The prices being quoted for both have strengthened by at least another 5c/kg this week.

Steers are generally being quoted at 490-495c/kg, while up to 500c/kg is being paid at the top of the market to suppliers with larger numbers on offer.

The trend for heifers is broadly similar. They are being quoted at 495c/kg, and up to 500c/kg is being paid this week.

Topping the trade are both Angus and Hereford, such is the level of consumer demand for beef from these breeds at present. Foremost is the Angus, for which up to 540-550c/kg is reported to have been reached when the combination of breed bonus and quality assurance bonus are included.

As mentioned before, these breed societies have done their producers some service with the promotion of Certified Angus and Hereford Prime schemes, now paying handsome dividends and driving demand at all stages of their growth.

Prices being paid for the young bulls are generally on parity with the steer price. The R-grade young bulls are being quoted at 495-500c/kg.

The cows continue a strong trade, reflecting demand from the manufacturing and catering sector. The R-grade cows are generally stronger this week at 440-450c/kg.

As mentioned above, the supply for last week came to 38,533 head compared to 34,655 head for the corresponding week in 2022.

The intake for the week included 11,834 steers, 10,984 heifers, 12,225 cows and 3,048 young bulls, with each of the categories up on the same week last year.