Northern View: prices paid for cattle keep on rising

Base quotes for clean U-3 grading cattle have been maintained at a best of 620p/kg for both steers and heifers.

However, much more is available from the market, with reports from farmers suggesting starting prices are now into the low 640s, with more available to regular suppliers.

Numbers remain tight and factory buyers and their agents continue to struggle to meet their requirements.

Price rises inevitable

Sources in the trade accept that further price rises are inevitable, but warn that a price correction back towards 600p/kg will eventually come.

In the meantime, prices being paid in Britain highlight that there remains significant scope for NI factories to pay more for cattle.

Last week, U3 grading heifers in Britain were up a further 10p to 12p/kg to average over 680p/kg, with prices in Scotland over 690p/kg.

Reports suggest that the 700p/kg mark has been breached this week for larger suppliers in Britain.

Filter

Those higher prices being paid for cattle in Britain continue to filter through into the prices being paid for strong stores and finished cattle at local marts in Northern Ireland.

In the live ring at Markethill, heavy beef bullocks weighing 628kg made £2,540, with 638kg making £2,500.

Heavy heifers at 648kg made £2,520 with 602kg at £2,300.

In the beef ring at Ballymena last Thursday, heavy cattle were selling for prices the equivalent of 670 to 700p/kg deadweight (see page 52).

Cows

The mart trade for cows is also very strong.

In Clogher last Saturday, an 840kg Charolais made £3,074 or 366p/kg and a 760kg Limousin made £2,842 or 374p/kg.

Fleshed Friesians

Fleshed Friesian cows sold to £2,329 for 850kg or 274p/kg – assuming a 51% kill-out that equates to a beef price of 538p/kg.

Given the mart trade for fat cows, the plants have increased quotes to a best of 510p for an O+ cow and to 520p for an R grade.

NI sheep: hogget trade steadies midweek

Quotes for hoggets in the plants are lower this week, with 680p/kg on offer, making a hogget worth £156.40 at the 23kg limit. In the marts, the trade was easier on Monday, but steadied on Tuesday.

In Gortin, the heaviest hoggets sold from £155 to £169/head. Middleweights made from £137 to £152. Best of the lighter lots saw 21.3kg making 638p at £136.

In Kilrea, 800 hoggets sold from 617p to 644p/kg, down by 40p on last week. The 644p was for 23kg at £148, with 640p paid for 24kg at £153.50.

In Markethill, a small show of 260 head sold from 570p to 629p, down by 40p on last week. The 629p was for 22.5kg at £141.50, with 23.2kg at £143, 616p/kg.

The trade in Saintfield was unchanged and 555 hoggets sold from 585p to 678p/kg. Hoggs at 24kg made to £152, with 23kg to £143.

In Ballymena, hoggets at 25kg made £156, with 24.5kg at £155.50 and 23.5kg at £157.50. Lighter hoggs at 22.5kg made £143, with 21kg at £136/head.

Fat ewes

In Gortin, the best ewes made £300/head, while others made from £180 to £264.

And in Kilrea, ewes sold to £252.

Markethill had 260 culls and good ewes made from £170 to £294. Plainer ewes sold from £100 to £160/head.

In Saintfield, the top was £248, with a run from £167 to £240, while in Rathfriland the top was £306.