The beef trade continues to face significant pressure on a number of fronts. Steers and heifers are being quoted a 5c/kg lower base in many plants for cattle moving from the start of the week onwards.

There are still plants purchasing at a base of €3.75/kg for steers and €3.85/kg for heifers but in some factories this is being confined to regular sellers with those with less bargaining power being offered the lower quote.

The time lag from booking to slaughter also remains an issue with some plants moving stock within the space of a week while others handling large numbers or cattle deemed out-of-spec are facing longer delays. This is particularly the case for heavy-carcase, poorer-quality and overage Friesian bulls with producers in cases struggling to find a home, particularly where they have been selling in different plants in recent years.

Bull prices

Bull prices range anywhere from €3.50/kg to €3.70/kg for U grades weighing less than 430kg to 440kg with cuts of 10c/kg to 20c/kg still being enforced to varying degrees for heavy-carcase bulls.

R grades range from €3.40/kg to €3.60/kg with a wide differential for O grading bulls starting at €3.00/kg to €3.10/kg for overage bulls and rising to €3.30/kg to €3.40/kg at the higher end of the market.

Cow trade

The cow trade is steady with tighter numbers helping to provide some stability in the trade. P+3 grading cows range from €2.65/kg to €2.80/kg while O grades average €2.80/kg to €2.95/kg and R grades range from €3.00/kg to €3.10/kg in the main.

Plants active in the cow trade are in cases paying up to €3.20/kg for heavy-carcase R grading cows with U grades ranging from €3.25/kg to €3.40/kg.

Act of sabotage

IFA president Joe Healy is accusing factories of applying a concerted effort to drive down the price of cattle.

“This is naked opportunism by the factories on the back of beef farmers.There has been a huge national focus on the threat posed by Brexit to beef and the national economy. A cut to cattle prices would be an irresponsible act of sabotage by the meat factories at a time when the focus needs to be on Brexit,” he said.

Healy added: “Farmers selling cattle at a base price of €3.75/kg for steers and €3.85/kg for heifers are taking cuts of 20c/kg to 25c/kg below last year’s price levels, or reductions of up to €100 per head. Farmers selling young bulls have been hit for €200 per head.”

IFA national livestock chair Angus Woods says the IFA has been in contact with all of the main meat factories and Meat Industry Ireland on cattle prices.

“Cattle prices in our main export market in the UK are £3.46/kg for the week ending 9 March, equivalent to €4.24/kg at an exchange rate of 86p to €1. This is 40c/kg above the Irish price or €150 per animal. Across the main EU markets, R3 males are making from €3.90 to €4.30/kg.”