Prime cattle prices slip amid seven-month-high kill

The biggest challenge now is to keep the base for beef at a price that leaves producers with a margin, without killing the market, writes Martin Ryan

The beef factory bosses don't believe in wasting opportunity to exercise control when the balance of demand and supply swings in their favour.

Like the colder and wetter conditions on farms over the past week, the squeeze by factories on the beef prices has followed, with cuts applied across all main categories for this week.

Prices for prime beef animals, steers and heifers have tightened by up to 10c/kg, with the heavier brunt of up to 25c/kg being shaved off the cow prices.