Marginal drop in price of bullocks

Marts: Producers’ pay-sheet prices at the factories for last week show the drop in quoted prices was only marginally reflected in the actual prices paid for bullocks.

Overall, the average price paid for R3 bullocks was less than a half penny/lb under the previous week. While some individual factories did a reduction of up to 1p/lb in the cost of bullocks, in line with the change in quoted prices, only a marginal reduction was achieved at other plants.

Two third of the operating factories paid an average of 85p/lb or better with one factory average cost dropping to under 84p/lb. The best average of 248c/kg (88.5p) was paid at Carrigans of Donegal with Honeyclover at Freshford, AIBP at Clones, Liffey Meats, Ballyjamesduff, Bergins Moyvalley Meats, Co Kildare, Exel at Kilbeggan and their sister plant Newgrange Meats, Navan all on 240-245c/kg (85.8p-87.5p/lb).

Although demand for cattle was weaker with the short working week and Easter order filled, producer resistance to selling finished animals at the lowering of prices did have some effect in tempering the reduction.

The factories did achieve an average reduction of 1p/lb for O3 grade bullocks at 227 cents/kg (81p/lb) within a price variation of 235 cents/kg (84p/lb) to 222 cents/kg (79p/lb).

Meadow Meats, Rathdowney returned an average for R3 heifers of 270 cent/kg (96.4p/lb), and Kepak Clonee paid an average of almost 92p/lb, both influenced by premium cost stock.

Dawn Meats, Ballyhaunis, topped cow prices with up to 207 cents/kg (74p/lb) being paid for R4H, the top price of 197 cents/kg (70p/lb) for )5 and 186 cents/kg (66p/lb) for P+4L grade.

Martin Ryan