There is a real tug of war between beef producers and factory buyers in recent days. Factories have increased their purchasing activity and are actively sourcing higher numbers.
However, this is being carried out while also trying to keep a lid on price, with plants reluctant to raise quotes to €3.95/kg for steers and €4.05/kg for heifers.
Regular sellers competing at the top of the market have had greater success in securing this base, but sellers with smaller numbers are finding it more difficult to get buyers to lift beyond a base of €3.90/kg and €4.00/kg.
Reports indicate that this has led to some producers delaying drafting cattle, with sellers realising that there is more bite in the trade and happy to sit on cattle for another few days.
It will be a case of who blinks first in negotiations and a rising demand for beef could edge the balance of power to producers, particularly those with significant numbers on hand.
The mart trade for slaughter-fit stock has also improved, with agents competing strongly for small numbers available.
There is no real change in the young bull or cow trade. R and U grading bulls are, by and large, trading for €3.90/kg and €4.00/kg respectively.
Again, buyers are reluctant to pass the €4.00/kg mark for good U grading bulls and have offered some producers a price enticement of €3.95/kg for R grades where they make up a lower proportion of a sale group of mainly U grading bulls.
Friesian bulls continue to trade from an average of €3.65/kg to €3.75/kg, but 5c/kg higher is being paid to specialist finishers. Bulls less than 16 months and trading on the grid are mainly selling from a base of €3.90/kg, with a small number of specialist finishers securing a 2c/kg to 5c/kg higher base.
There is a growing differential between some plants in the prices paid for cows, as reflected in the price table.
At the bottom of the market, there are some plants trying to purchase P+3 grading cows from less than €3.20/kg to €3.25/kg, but the general price paid is between €3.25/kg and €3.35/kg, with cow-specialist plants rewarding large suppliers with a touch extra.
This is the same across all conformation classes, with fleshed O grading cows selling from €3.35/kg to €3.50/kg, while R grades range in the main from €3.50/kg to €3.60/kg, with top prices rising to €3.70/kg for mixed lots of R and U grading cows.
Northern trade
The northern trade is steady, with base U-3 quotes unchanged at £3.52/kg to £3.56/kg. Sterling fluctuated and strengthened slightly over the week and at Wednesday’s exchange rate of 89p to the euro, equates to €3.96/kg to €4.00/kg or €4.17/kg to €4.22/kg including VAT at 5.4%.
A large percentage of throughput continues to be supplied by specialist producers handling large numbers and capable of negotiating above the base prices offered.
This is reflected in the U-3 prices reported rising into the low- to mid-£3.60s.
The number of cattle imported from the south for direct slaughter in the last week was just 44 head, with the year to date total of 352 head a long way behind the 1,109 head imported in 2017.
Numbers travelling to the south for direct slaughter are much higher at 205 head for last week and 1,096 for the year to date.
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Store cattle trade holding steady at Swatragh Mart
Turkey seeking 100,000 fat bulls
There is a real tug of war between beef producers and factory buyers in recent days. Factories have increased their purchasing activity and are actively sourcing higher numbers.
However, this is being carried out while also trying to keep a lid on price, with plants reluctant to raise quotes to €3.95/kg for steers and €4.05/kg for heifers.
Regular sellers competing at the top of the market have had greater success in securing this base, but sellers with smaller numbers are finding it more difficult to get buyers to lift beyond a base of €3.90/kg and €4.00/kg.
Reports indicate that this has led to some producers delaying drafting cattle, with sellers realising that there is more bite in the trade and happy to sit on cattle for another few days.
It will be a case of who blinks first in negotiations and a rising demand for beef could edge the balance of power to producers, particularly those with significant numbers on hand.
The mart trade for slaughter-fit stock has also improved, with agents competing strongly for small numbers available.
There is no real change in the young bull or cow trade. R and U grading bulls are, by and large, trading for €3.90/kg and €4.00/kg respectively.
Again, buyers are reluctant to pass the €4.00/kg mark for good U grading bulls and have offered some producers a price enticement of €3.95/kg for R grades where they make up a lower proportion of a sale group of mainly U grading bulls.
Friesian bulls continue to trade from an average of €3.65/kg to €3.75/kg, but 5c/kg higher is being paid to specialist finishers. Bulls less than 16 months and trading on the grid are mainly selling from a base of €3.90/kg, with a small number of specialist finishers securing a 2c/kg to 5c/kg higher base.
There is a growing differential between some plants in the prices paid for cows, as reflected in the price table.
At the bottom of the market, there are some plants trying to purchase P+3 grading cows from less than €3.20/kg to €3.25/kg, but the general price paid is between €3.25/kg and €3.35/kg, with cow-specialist plants rewarding large suppliers with a touch extra.
This is the same across all conformation classes, with fleshed O grading cows selling from €3.35/kg to €3.50/kg, while R grades range in the main from €3.50/kg to €3.60/kg, with top prices rising to €3.70/kg for mixed lots of R and U grading cows.
Northern trade
The northern trade is steady, with base U-3 quotes unchanged at £3.52/kg to £3.56/kg. Sterling fluctuated and strengthened slightly over the week and at Wednesday’s exchange rate of 89p to the euro, equates to €3.96/kg to €4.00/kg or €4.17/kg to €4.22/kg including VAT at 5.4%.
A large percentage of throughput continues to be supplied by specialist producers handling large numbers and capable of negotiating above the base prices offered.
This is reflected in the U-3 prices reported rising into the low- to mid-£3.60s.
The number of cattle imported from the south for direct slaughter in the last week was just 44 head, with the year to date total of 352 head a long way behind the 1,109 head imported in 2017.
Numbers travelling to the south for direct slaughter are much higher at 205 head for last week and 1,096 for the year to date.
Read more
Download the Irish Farmers Journal news app today and get the latest prices for all grades and all factories through the built-in Livestock Tool.
Store cattle trade holding steady at Swatragh Mart
Turkey seeking 100,000 fat bulls
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