With industrial action set to disrupt the beef and sheep kill next week, prime cattle prices are holding relatively firm.
Official base quotes have seen some minor changes, as some plants shave 2p off quotes, with others adding 2p/kg. This puts the range of quotes on U-3 grading animals between 442p/kg and 450p/kg, but the actual deals on offer continue to run well above these levels.
Reports indicate prices start around 464p/kg, with little more than 2p/kg on offer where farmers have limited numbers of steers and heifers to sell.
Farmers off-loading cattle on a more regular arrangement indicate that 470p/kg has been paid, but that negotiating above this level is difficult without the lure of bigger numbers. Young bulls are being pinned fairly close to the top-end of base quotes, with most deals ranging from 452p to 456p/kg.
The higher end of these prices is easier to come by on animals meeting carcase weight limits and hitting marking spec on conformation.
There have been reports of factories handling additional cattle this week, as processors start to concentrate on Christmas orders, which usually translates into a price boost. However, there is expectation that price lift may not materialise, as next week’s industrial action looks set to cause major disruption that will run well into November.
Farmers with cattle to sell are now facing a three-week waiting period before finished animals can move for slaughter.
Not only does that mean unnecessary feed costs, there is a risk animals will fall outside of market specification.
The backlog created by the five-day strike action is expected to put prime cattle prices under pressure, as processors will have a surplus of animals on their books.
Cows
Demand for cull cows continues to weaken and quotes are down 4p to 6p/kg. This brings R3 cows to a top quote of 330p/kg, with farmers struggling to better 340p/kg for good-quality suckler lots.
There are positives within the sheep trade as prices have moved upwards, despite an increase in lamb numbers moving through marts.
With the live ring up £2 to £3, factory quotes have risen 10p/kg to 525p/kg making a lamb worth £110.25 at the 21kg carcase limit.
Kilrea sold 1,200 lambs from 477p to 506p/kg, no change on last week. Good prices were bid for heavier lambs with 24kg making £121.50, 25kg at £126, 23.5kg at £117.50, 21kg to £102.50 and 18kg made £85.50.
In Gortin, the trade was slightly up by around £1 a head. Heavy lambs made £117 for 26kg, £115 for 25kg, 24kg made £114.50 and a big run from £100 to £113 for 21kg to 24.5kg.
Markethill had 1,330 lambs selling from 460p to 500p/kg, no change on last week.
The best price for heavy lambs was £118 for 25.7kg with a run making £111 to £115 for 24kg to 25kg.
Quality middleweights made £102 for 20.4kg, with 20.9kg to £103.50 and 20.7kg at £105.
Store lambs were a good trade. They made to 580p/kg for 15kg at £87 with 543p/kg for 15.3kg at £83 and 540p/kg for 16.3kg at £88. Stronger lambs made from £91 to £94.50. Store lambs in Ballymena sold from £88 to £100.
In Saintfield, a show of 980 lambs sold from 477p to 525p/kg, up 7p to 15p/kg on last week. The top price was for strong Texels at 27kg making £130 with 26kg Charollais at £124. A big run of lambs from 23kg to 27kg made from £112 to £124. Lambs at 23kg sold to £12.50 with 21kg at £102.
In Ballymena, lambs at 24kg made £116. A big pen at 23kg made £109. Lambs at 21.5kg made £101 with 21kg at £96 and 18kg at £94.
Ewes
The trade in fat ewes picked up in Saintfield on Tuesday after a slower trade on Monday. In Kilrea, the top price was £156. In Gortin, ewes sold to £155 with a big run from £84 to £125. At Markethill, ewes sold from £90 to £154 and a top of £156. In Saintfield, the top was £220 for Texels with a big run from £115 to £192.
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