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: Factories paid 5c-7c/kg (2p/lb) more for cattle, under pressure to get sufficient stock last week, as producers held out for higher returns before parting with animals.

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.

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 turned the corner in a positive direction for producers over the past week regaining most of the recent decline in returns from the factories for bullocks and heifers and boosting cow prices.

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: 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.

MARTS: THERE was no change in the average price paid by factories for cattle last week, which in general returned 6c/kg (2p/lb) above the quoted prices to producers.