Photo: Donal O' Leary The beef trade has remained steady, with last week’s official Department of Agriculture prices showing increases across the board. The ABG system is the average of the base grades on the EUROP pricing grid. Each week, factories are ranked based on the average of the reported prices paid for the QPS base grades in the particular week of trading (ie animals grading R= and R- on conformation and from 2+ to 4= on fat score). Prices include the 12c/kg bonus and the 20c/kg bonus in-spec quality assurance paid on eligible animals and/or any other bonuses.