Price cuts of up to 6 cent/kg (2p/lb)

IT has been another difficult and very disappointing week for cattle farmers, with over-supply leading to a price slide at the factories.

Processors over-booked with cattle, relative to market demand, inflicted heavy price cuts, and put sellers on a waiting list to get their cattle in, as heavy bookings clogged a system already overloaded with high stocks of beef in the cold stores.

Farmers blamed the factories for taking advantage of a strong supply, with the steer supply having increased from 12,000 head to over 16,000 head per week in a few weeks. But the processors turned the blame on the market, citing difficulties in moving beef, and lower prices in most markets, except Northern Ireland and Britain, where returns are up 5 to 8%, compared to 2006.