Marginal increase in cattle supply

Marts: There is a slight increase in the supply of beef animals for the factories this week, which has brought the first signs of an easing in the scale of price increases of recent weeks for producers.

There was no change in the officially quoted prices at the factories yesterday, but coming under pressure is the margin of top-up on the quoted rates paid in recent weeks, which producers are finding more difficult to retain this week.

Factories are quoting 286 cents/kg (102p/lb) for R/R4L grade animals, similar to the past few weeks, but it is more difficult to get the 105p/lb, which was paid in recent weeks for stock as the margin between quotes and prices paid widened further each week. Prices for O grade are quoted at 280 cents/kg (100p/lb), with the wide margin over that harder to retain.