Factory agents are responding to tighter numbers in the market and are increasing prices in a bid to attract throughput. While agents are keen for stock, they are also trying to keep a lid on prices paid across the board and as such are targeting regular sellers and producers with significant numbers on hand.Prices for heifers have moved upwards by 5c/kg, with sellers who were last week trading at a base of €3.75/kg now securing €3.80/kg. Likewise those negotiating a base of €3.70/kg last week are now pushing for €3.75/kg. Demand for Angus-bred stock remains solid, with reports in the west and northwest of a flat price of €4.00/kg being paid. In other regions a flat price of €3.90/kg to €3.95/kg has been reported for mixed lots of Angus and Hereford stock.
Factory agents are responding to tighter numbers in the market and are increasing prices in a bid to attract throughput. While agents are keen for stock, they are also trying to keep a lid on prices paid across the board and as such are targeting regular sellers and producers with significant numbers on hand.
Prices for heifers have moved upwards by 5c/kg, with sellers who were last week trading at a base of €3.75/kg now securing €3.80/kg. Likewise those negotiating a base of €3.70/kg last week are now pushing for €3.75/kg. Demand for Angus-bred stock remains solid, with reports in the west and northwest of a flat price of €4.00/kg being paid. In other regions a flat price of €3.90/kg to €3.95/kg has been reported for mixed lots of Angus and Hereford stock.
Clear mandate
Agents have been given a clear mandate – try to keep a lid on price but do not leave any numbers behind. There is a similar trend for steers, with top prices reported on Monday rising to a base of €3.75/kg. There are also more farmers with smaller numbers on hand having success in pushing for a base of €3.70/kg.
Factories continue to pull forward numbers from longer-term bookings, with some producers reporting a turn-around time of less than 24 hours from booking to slaughter. The typical time frame for turnaround is two to three days.
Cows going strong
The cow kill has being running anywhere from 1,000 head to 1,500 head above the norm in recent weeks. This is despite significant numbers of top-quality cows heading north for direct slaughter. This is likely to become a new normal level for cow throughput and stems from higher numbers of cull cows coming on stream from the ever-expanding dairy herd.
There is a significant variation in prices reported, with a price differential of 15c/kg to 20c/kg common between sellers handling smaller numbers and those trading at the higher end of the market. P+3 grades are hitting €3/kg in an increasing number of plants, with quotes ranging from €2.90/kg to as high as €3.10/kg when traded in larger batches. O grades range from €3.00/kg to €3.15/kg on average, while R grades are recording a price range from €3.20/kg to €3.30/kg on average, but as high as €3.40/kg is being paid in plants specialising in the cow trade for top-quality lots.
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