Factory beef prices drop slightly
The kill for the week eased back slightly on the previous week with a throughput of 41,856 head compared to 42,389 head the previous week, but it was not enough to prevent a further cut in the prices paid. Bullocks accounted for 17,830 head which was 1,400 back on a week earlier, but still remaining a few hundred higher than for the corresponding week in 2003.
The bad news for producers was that the national average paid for both R3 bullocks and heifers dropped by 3 cents/kg (1p/lb) while the average for O3 animals suffered a slightly heavier cut. The factories paid an average of just under 87p/lb for R3 bullocks and 88p/lb for R3 heifers.
