Strong demand drives the market

THE trade continues very firm, with prices gradually hardening as supplies ease back slightly from the peak of recent weeks.

Official factory quotes are unchanged, but cattle farmers who adopt a hard sell approach are slowly getting better prices wherever processors need large supplies to meet good export orders.

Southern factories quoted a base price of 106p/lb for R grade animals this week, but very few cattle were sold for less than 107p, with some making a bit more in special deals. In the midlands, 108p was easily attainable, with 110p to be got in the north west, where supplies are tightest, as usual.