The cattle trade continues to remain steady with a slight reduction in numbers of finished cattle.
This is according to Bord Bia’s latest update where it also outlines that trade, across our key export markets, remains relatively unchanged.
Prices remain largely steady for most categories, it says and the majority of steers and heifers were purchased at a base price of between €3.70 and €3.75 /kg on the Quality Payment System. These prices exclude the €0.12/kg bonus which is payable on in-spec QA animals. Prices paid for cull cows increased on the previous week, with prices for the O grades generally making between €2.95 to €3.10/kg.
Bord Bia
Cattle supplies at export meat plants for the week ending July 4 stood at around 30,400 head, which was almost 14% higher than the equivalent week in 2013. Cumulative supplies for the year to-date are running at over 102,000 head or almost 14% above the figures for the corresponding period last year. Cumulative supply of heifers continue to be up by around 18% on the corresponding period last year with steers and young bulls 16% and 15% higher respectively.
According to Bord Bia, in Britain reported cattle prices from the AHDB have decreased with GB R4L grade steers averaging at Stg338.0p/kg DW (equivalent to 425.1c/kg DW) for the week ended July 5. Little change in trade was reported with best trade overall for steak cuts with round cuts and forequarter continuing to remain slow.
In France, the beef trade was reported as remaining steady with prices largely unchanged. In other Continental markets little change to recent weeks has been reported.