Beef price increase slows as kill peaks

Marts: Having reached the benchmark of 100p/lb for R grade cattle, beef prices at the factories achieved very little gain last week as the kill reached a seasonal peak.

The improvement in average prices paid by the processors was limited to 1 cent/kg with the factories across the country paying an average of 100p/lb for R4L grade bullocks and heifers and the best and the worst a fraction more or less than the benchmark of 100p/lb as the surge forward in prices slowed.

The total kill was over 44,000 head which was a seasonal high. Of this, bullocks accounted for almost 21,000 head, a very strong supply for this time of the year as producers who had retained cattle for the Christmas kill realised that the peak for the end of year had been reached and achieved substantial gains on cattle which had been retained from the October period of low prices.