Ireland No 6 in the EU for beef heifer prices, North is No 2

NI farmers get EU's second highest price for beef heifers

At the start of August, prices south of the border remained significantly behind those in Northern Ireland (412.2c/kg), which were the second highest in the EU.

Ireland is at number six in the EU on beef heifer prices, according to the EU Commission’s monthly rankings.

During the week ending August 2, 2020, the R3 heifer price in Ireland was 378.6c/kg, having increased 12.9c/kg from a month previously.

Despite the rise, prices south of the border remained significantly behind those recorded in Northern Ireland (412.2c), which were the second highest in the EU, after Sweden (437.3c), with farmers in Great Britain (410.4c), France (409c), and Luxembourg (394.9c) paid the third, fourth, and fifth highest prices, respectively.

This widening differential has contributed to an increase in the number of prime cattle being imported from Ireland for direct slaughter in Northern Ireland processing plants, said the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) of Northern Ireland.

This trend is confirmed by Bord Bia, which said trading of cattle to Northern Ireland performed strongly over recent weeks, with just over 1,600 head travelling north during the week ending August 9.

They included a combination of calves, store cattle for further feeding, and finished beef cattle.

The Irish R3 heifer price was 33.6c/kg behind the same price in Northern Ireland, which is the equivalent of €111 on a 330kg carcase, but the Irish R3 heifer price was 11.5c/kg higher than the average EU price for R3 heifers.

The R3 heifer price in Northern Ireland was 45.1c/kg ahead of the average EU price, which was 367.1c/kg.

The British price increased by the equivalent of 7.1c/kg from the first week of July.

The differential in R3 heifer price between the UK and the EU average price widened from 40.6c/kg at the start of July to 43.3c/kg at the start of August.

The LMC said recovery in Northern Ireland and Great Britain prices has been driven by lower levels of beef import, some recovery in food service demand, and a surge in retail demand for beef products.