Recovery is on the cards for factory beef prices

A slight glimmer of optimism on beef prices at factories this week has encouraged farmers to hope that the worst may be over for the season, and although gradual and slow — recovery is on the cards.

While officially quoted prices show very little change from previous weeks, farmers report a slight easing in resistance by processors to paying a top-up on the quoted base price. With that base at 360 cents/kg, a top-up of up to 5 cents/kg more for steers is being negotiated on a wider scale this week.

Heifer prices have edged slightly ahead of the steers, with quoted base prices quoted ranging from 360 to 365 cents/kg, with the upper end of that range becoming more freely available.