Brazilian beef ban to boost Irish prices

THE outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Brazil and the subsequent ban on beef imports from affected regions of that country have boosted cattle prices in Ireland, according to farm leaders who are monitoring developments.

IFA livestock committee chairman John Bryan said farmers with beef cattle to sell are determined to secure an immediate and significant price increase from factories on the back of very tight supplies and the EU Brazilian beef ban.

The Brazilian case and resultant EU ban will remove over 200,000 tonnes of beef from the market, equivalent to half of all Irish exports in a full year. This will leave beef supplies extremely scarce and should immediately drive strong demand for finished cattle, he said.