There does, however, appear to be north/south, east/west divide, with plants in the west appearing to be more anxious and continuing to travel cattle out of the south and east to fill their requirements.

Those western plants are a bit easier to negotiate with when it comes to flat prices.

That said, all plants will offer off-the-grid deals once the numbers are good enough.

The range of flat prices on offer includes Angus at €5.70-5.75/kg and Herefords at €5.60-5.65/kg, with reports that full loads of well-fleshed Friesians were sold last week for €5.40/kg flat.

Quotes for cull cows also remain unchanged, with O grades on €4.70-4.80/kg, Ps on €4.50-4.60/kg and Rs at €5.00/kg.

It’s a similar story with the young bulls as U grades continue on €5.50/kg and Rs on €5.40/kg, but a mixed load of Us and Rs in the west sold for €5.55/kg flat.

Meanwhile, the latest data available from the Department shows that the kill for the week ending April 2 was up 486 to 30,835. ​

The biggest increase came in the bullock section: 12,279 against 11,257 for the previous week. Heifer numbers fell 151 to 8,967, with young bulls back 261 to 1,777 and cull cows less by 13 at 7,291.

Overall, the yearly kill is down 9,632 (or 3pc) at 425,554 on the same period last year. That said the total kill by the end of March last year was up 9pc on 2021.

Will numbers fall? Or as we head deeper into April, will numbers keep coming as farmers with cattle in sheds cash in and move to buy for grass?

Numbers may dip in the period between when the last of the farmer shed cattle go and the first of the grass cattle start to come.

However, they won’t dry up because the feedlots will keep the factories supplied.

Indeed, I’m told that feedlot suppliers were put off selling stock over the last few weeks by factories as more farmer-type stock became available.

Now with extra numbers on hand and farmers wanting to clear out sheds ahead of buying for that early to mid-summer market, the suggestion is that factory numbers will hold or possibly increase over the next two weeks before possibly easing.

However, to quote my late mother, “If you could predict what was going to happen in the cattle business you would never need to get up off your chair to make money.”

Of course, beef also comes into the Republic of Ireland as well as going out.

Figures obtained from the Central Statistics Office shows that the tonnage of carcase beef and beef with bone still in imported in this country rose from 7,849t in 2021 to 8,398t last year.

The value of this trade amounted to €17,476,000, up €3,744,000 from €13,732,000 in 2021. The total value of all beef and offal imports in 2022 was €184m.

While small by comparison with €2.4bn in beef we exported in 2021, experience in the sheep sector suggests that these import numbers should be carefully monitored.