Weaker trade for plain cattle
Purchasers of stores in the marts are showing a greater awareness of the price difference at beef level between the upper and lower grades with the grid scale likely to be more strictly applied for the third and fourth quarters of the year than to date.
The stronger supply of cattle, guaranteed to the factories in the autumn, will make it easier for the processors to apply the grid to payment more strictly, to trigger a difference of 24 cent/kg (over 8.5p/lb) between an R3 and O4H, capable of knocking more than €80/head off the return to the producer.
Some of the plain Friesian type stores have now dropped to €130 to €150 over €/kg and where they show a concentration of Holstein characteristics they can be bought for close to €100 over €/kg and providing harder to find buyers.
The reports are similar from all of the sales this week.
At Kanturk Mart yesterday the bullocks under 400kgs ranged €150 to €280 over while the 500 kg plus weight range sold at €220 to €320 over and up to €350 was paid for the quality heavy bullocks.
The light heifers were also a quieter trade, light weights ranged €100 to €190 over while the 400kg lots made €170 to €230 over.
At Fermoy the quality bullocks were in strong demand with the quality forward continentals making up to €340 over. The plainer light cattle sold back to €150 over.
There was a smaller sale at Kilmallock. The heavy continental bullocks made up to €420 over €/kg, while light stores ranged €180-€350 over. Up to €280 over was paid for the store heifers.
