Producers Urged to Look Hard for Prices as Markets Stabilise
UK – Producers should ‘shop around’ before delivering cattle for slaughter, Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) Northern Ireland has advised.
28 July 2014
2 minute read
LMC Quotes from Northern Irish plants ranged from 316-311 p/kilo, below paid prices.
Steers were up 2 pence to 316.3 p/kilo and heifers lifted 1.2 pence on average. The R3 steer price went unchanged on 324.8 p/kilo.
Young bulls were ‘firmer’ and lifted 8.1 p/kilo to 302.8 p/kilo. However, U3 young bulls averaged over 2 pence cheaper than the prior week at 313.1 p/kilo.
Cull cows were higher at 231.5 p/kilo, LMC analysts reported.
Livestock Numbers
A bank holiday meant throughput of cows was back on the prior week and year ago figures and prime cattle were ‘markedly lower’ at 1,131 compared to 5,462 in 2013.
Prime cattle imports for direct slaughter for the year sit almost 3,000 head behind 2013 levels, with 247 shipped last week.
Prices Stabilise Over Great Britain
Further afield, cattle prices have lifted across Great Britain, showing ‘signs of stabilising’. The Midlands reported the greatest increase where the average steer was up 3.3 p/kilo to 315.8 p/kilo.
Average steers prices were up across all regions of Britain, although heifers were over three pence cheaper in Northern England to 333.8 p/kilo.
Irish steers and heifers lifted 2 p/kilo to 287.9 and 295 p/kilo respectively.
Irish Cattle Prices Still Adrift
This still leaves cattle values in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) ‘notably behind’ prices across the UK.
“While prices in NI and GB have firmed prices in ROI have declined. In the week ending the 13 July 2014 the R3 heifer price in NI was the equivalent of 22.4c/kg above the EU average while the R3 heifer price in ROI was 18c/kg below the EU average,” said LMC analysts.
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