While the relentless malaise in the cattle trade has no doubt continued, in recent days the deadweight prime cattle trade levelled, according to the AHDB.
At 327.0p/kg the British all prime average was little changed on the week earlier.
For another week reports suggest that the differentiation in the trade is very clear.
According to the AHDB, cattle meeting tight supermarket specification have been well received by the market and prices in general have been solid.
However, it says with specification under the microscope by processors, who can afford to be selective in their procurement, pressure on price for the more commercial types is likely and queues have emerged.
Prices
The average price of R4L steers came back over 2p on the week to 337.5p/kg while heifers meeting the same specification came back a penny to 336.4p/kg.
In contrast, young bull prices again demonstrated some varied movement, overall increasing almost 2p to 303.5p/kg. The market for these types is of course heavily depended on finish and conformation.
Cow trade
The cow trade was stable for another week, the AHDB reports.
The overall cow average was up a fraction at 195.8p/kg. At the moment, the trade is absorbing the increase in dairy cow cullings well, possibly a reflection of the slightly better performance of Sterling against the euro.
In the medium term, the AHDB warn there may well be a risk to this status quo should cow cullings intensify, given there are few indications of increasing milk prices this year.
The possibility of Brexit and the implications for currency creates a challenge for the cow trade which is, in part, interrelated to its competitiveness on the EU cow beef commodity market, according to the AHDB.
