Up to 230 cent/kg for O grade cows

GROUND conditions deteriorated on most farms over the past week, but beef cattle supplies didn’t pick up.

Good demand for beef has also helped to boost prices, with processors coming under pressure to source enough cattle, forced to pay more to encourage farmers to sell.

The foot and mouth ban on exports from the UK has boosted demand, to replace around 1,300 tonnes of beef and veal per week on markets normally supplied by the UK, almost entirely in the EU.