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There is a growing gap between prices paid to farmers for top-quality and plainer weanlings.
Martwatch figures show the top third of heavier weanlings are fetching €360/head more than the bottom third in 2017.
This is an increase of €67/head or 19c/kg compared with 2016.
With prices for better-quality weanlings only holding, the gap is being opened by a drop in the average price of plainer young cattle.
This is largely due to an increase in dairy calf numbers in marts. It’s a buyer’s market for such cattle.
More dairy calf births and lower live numbers of calves exported last year have combined to create this trend. Farmers are chasing animals that will grade well on eventual slaughter.
The top third of weanling bulls average €984/head compared with €620/head for the bottom third.
The same trend applies to heifers, but to a lesser extent as there is less of an impact from dairy-bred stock.
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