No joy for producers on price
Quotations for the week are in line with last week or a fraction under, depending on location and the supply situation.
Up to 235 cent/kg (84p/lb) is available for good quality R grade cattle, but most of the factories in the south are offering 229 cent/kg (82p/lb), although some supplies which had been purchased in advance have cost them slightly more than that.
Suppliers maintain that they secured slightly more than the quoted prices from factories last week for cattle this should become cleared later today when the official pay sheet prices for the week become available but it is proving harder to get any top-up on the quoted rates this week.
The markets continue weak and supplies of cattle are plentiful in the south, a combination which is now a recipe for higher prices. The good cattle are making 235 cent/kg (84p/lb) in the midlands and further up.
The good news in the trade is that bulls under 12 months are worth over 280 cent/kg (100p/lb) for those who have them ready for slaughter. At the other end of the scale, the bad news is that any cattle over 36 months are impossible to find an outlet for.
Fortunately there appears to be very few on farms, but there is still a trickle of over 30 months and these are worth 224-212 cent/kg (80p-76p/lb). If they are over 400 kgs carcass weight and good quality the best bet is Galtee Meats, Charleville, where they will make 246 cent/kg (88p/lb), a price which is also applied to the younger cattle if they reach the weight and quality criteria.
The cow trade is remaining very stable with 185 cent/kg (66p/lb) for good cows as a general rule and some factories paying more in direct deals for the right type of animal as they have been for some weeks.
Martin Ryan
