Beef Supplies Drop But Demand Stays Low

UK – Northern Irish beef markets are reporting tighter supplies of cattle for slaughter with demand ‘remaining subdued’.
calendar icon 21 July 2014
clock icon 1 minute read

This has ‘helped to steady’ deadweight cattle prices.

Prime cattle throughput declined last week, while slaughter cows lifted to the highest levels seen since late March last year, according to Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) Northern Ireland.

Prime cattle were 268 lower on the prior week, down 14 per cent year on year at 4,643. Cull cows increased by 120 head to 1,486.

LMC market analysts reported increases in R3 steers – up 2.7 p/kg – and a penny increase for average steers.

Great Britain saw ‘broadly similar’ deadweight trade to last week, with steers and heifers at 327.2 p/kg and 330.1p/kg respectively, added the LMC.

Declines were most notable in the Midlands at 3.2 p/kg to 324.1 p/kg.

Young bull values stepped higher, up over 8 pence per kilo in Southern England to 313.2 p/kg.

Considerable increases were also reported in Scotland, up 5.3 p/kg, with the Great Britain average at 309.2 p/kg, up 3.1 pence.

Republic of Ireland prices came under more pressure, down 1.6 pence for R3 steers. R3 heifers were back 3.5 pence.

This puts the differential in R3 steer prices between ROI and NI at 38.5p/kg or £127 on a 330kg carcase. The differential in R3 heifer prices between ROI and NI last week was 32.1p/kg or £106 on a 330kg carcase.

TheCattleSite News Desk

© 2000 - 2024 - Global Ag Media. All Rights Reserved | No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.