€800 over for dry cows a good omen

DEMAND for cattle at the factories has continued to fuel the market this week.

Moves by a number of beef processors to reduce prices for cattle by up to 5 cent/kg for this week’s kill met with strong resistance from farmers.

The quoted base price for steers eased to a range of 400 to 410 cent/kg (143p to 146p/lb), but processors found that very few farmers were willing to move cattle at the lower end of this price range. Instead, many were holding out for a top-up on the higher end of the range, before selling.