Marts: Eight factories increased the prices paid for cattle for last week’s kill in a partial reversal of the sharp decline in the return to producers the previous week as the downturn in supplies continued.

Marts: Beef prices have experienced the largest cut in returns in the year to date with up to 10c/kg (4p/lb) wiped off returns to producers who supplied stock to the factories in the past week.

Marts: The average price for beef has increased by 5-6c/kg (2p/lb) setting a new record as competition between the processors for stock delivers higher returns to producers on a total kill of 28,099 — incl bullocks at 9,949.

Marts: There have been further gains in beef prices at the factories as the supply tightens and processors come under more pressure to get cattle to supply orders.

A separated mother who stole €18,000 from her employer when she ran into financial difficulties after her marriage ended has been given a suspended sentence and ordered to perform 200 hours community service.

Marts: It has been a disappointing week for beef producers, during which the average price dropped 3 cent/kg (1p/lb), the largest decline in several weeks.

Marts: The upward trend in beef prices has been maintained, but the pace of change has eased to an average gain of 1c/kg, with the price variation between processors for similar stock offering the best opportunity for gains by producers.

Marts: While the upward trend in beef prices has been maintained, the pace of the increase has eased at the factories where average prices improved by 1-2c/kg last week.

Marts: The upward trend in beef prices is continuing, adding a further 3c-4c/kg to the average being paid for stock by the factories.

Marts: While the upward trend in cattle prices was maintained at a third of the country’s factories last week with slight increases, 11 of the remaining factories reduced prices paid for stock by up to 2c/kg — the first reversal of the upward trend year to date.

Marts: Beef prices continued the upward trend, making gains of 1-3c/kg, while the rate of price increase eased at the factories for last week’s kill.

Marts: THE upward trend in beef prices has been maintained with gains of 4c-5c/kg (2p/lb) in the average price paid by the factories for stock for last weeks kill.

Marts: An increase of 7c/kg (2p/lb) in the average price being paid by the factories for cattle has maintained the strong upward trend in returns for producers.

Marts: A majority of the beef factories paid more for beef — despite a strong increase in the supply — for last week’s kill, underpinning confidence in a stable trade.

Marts: Four AIBP factories are among 10 plants countrywide which have increased prices by up to 3c/kg (1p/lb) as the intake at the factories tightens further.

BEEF prices have dropped by an average of 1c-2c/kg at the factories as the supply of cattle is maintained well above average for August. However, but the actual price paid held 3c-6c/kg (1p-2p/lb) higher than the officially quoted rates by the processors.

Marts: Such has been the demand for cattle at the factories over the past week that an increase of over 4,000 in the supply of bullocks failed to deter the average price gaining a further 1 cent/kg — the third consecutive week of price gains.

Marts: The decline in average beef prices at the factories has almost bottomed out, as the intake of cattle shows the first signs of shrinking but the factories continued to pay a margin of up to 3c/kg (1p/lb) over the official quotes.

Marts: Although the factories continue to pay over the quoted prices for cattle, 6c/kg (2p/lb) has now been wiped off the average price in two weeks.

Marts: Producers with R grade cattle to sell are strongly resisting factory price cuts and processors are paying significantly more than the quoted prices for their supplies.

Marts: Resistance from producers to the lower prices being quoted by the factories for cattle and a carryover of stock bought forward at higher prices sustained prices at an average of at least 6c/kg (2p/lb) over the quoted rates last week.

A wide variation has opened up between individual factories on cow prices — up to 42c/kg (15p/lb).

The intake of bullocks dropped by 2,500 head after factories reduced prices by up to 6c/kg (2p/lb) last week with the heaviest losses in prices for the poorer graders.

Almost half of the factories paid less for R4L bullocks for last week's kill after a surge in supply to the highest weekly intake of bullocks in 2007 and the highest for the corresponding week since 2003.

THREE-MONTH analysis of the prices paid to farmers for beef animals shows that the margin of difference between factories for R4L bullocks was less than half of that for R4L heifers around the country.

Marts: Beef prices have made further gains to maintain parity with last year for bullocks and edge slightly higher than 2006 for heifers as the recovery of the market continues.

Marts: Beef prices have slumped below 2006 level — for the first time this year — after the worst week for the dead trade in several months plunged finished into deeper losses.

Marts: As beef prices tightened at the factories for a second week, analysis of factory averages for the first two months of 2007 show smaller factories led the field within a narrow price variation nationally.

Cow prices gained 4c/kg with up to 273c/kg being paid for R-grade cows.

As the processors tightened their grips on prices the return on R4L bullocks fell slightly at a number of the plants last week, in an unwelcome signal for producers who increased supply by a further 1,300 head to almost 35,000 head.

As prices continued unchanged last week, returns for the first five weeks of 2007 show a narrowing of the price range for beef animals at the factories to less than 6 cents/kg (2p/lb) dividing the highest and the lowest.

There was very little movement in beef prices at most of the factories last week.

Marts: There was no change in mainstream average prices paid by the factories for cattle last week, but minor downward adjustments are showing at the top end of the market, which may be early signs of an indicator of a ceiling on returns being positioned by the processors.

Beef prices were cut by an average of 1-3c/kg at the factories as the supply of cattle to the processing plants remained high at over 40,000 head slaughtered last week.

Marts: Beef prices made further gains at the factories as the supply of cattle slaughtered reached the seasonal peak with a throughput in excess of 40,000 head.

Marts: A strong improvement in the prices being paid by processors for cattle has brought about a good recovery in the supply to the factories.

Marts: The indications that the factories were anxious to tighten the upward price trend for beef has been confirmed in the farmer pay sheet returns for last week’s kill.

Marts: The overall trend in beef prices continued upwards at the factories with further gains of just under 2 cent/kg in the average for R4L bullocks for last week which brought the average paid to just over 105p/lb.

Marts: Beef prices gained 2c/kg at the factories last week, setting an autumn record of rising prices for eight consecutive weeks which brought the average R-grade price to almost 105p/lb.

Marts: Everything about the beef trade is positive right now for producers with a further increase in prices paid by the factories as the supply of bullocks rising.

Marts: Confidence in the beef trade has been further strengthened after another surge in the supply of cattle failed to dampen the upward trend in prices at the factories.

Marts: Beef prices have fallen 20 cent/kg (7p/lb) over the past four weeks — the largest one-month slide in years — following a drop of 5 cent/kg (2p/lb) in the average paid for R4L grade at the factories last week.

Marts: A sharp decline in prices paid for beef animals has been the processors’ response to an increase in the supply, which hit a four-year high last week.

HALF of the factories paid more for cattle last week (some increased by almost 3p/lb), while the balance paid the same or slightly less than the previous week as the kill surged to a three-year high.