The Republic of Ireland has retained its fourth place on the EU deadweight cattle prices league table, the latest figures from the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) Northern Ireland show.
For the week ending June 28, the average price of an R3 heifer was 428.7c/kg, up 10.9c/kg from the 417.8c/kg paid in the week ending May 31, 2015. the LMC says.
This latest price for the Republic is 28.1c/kg above the EU average price of 400.6c/kg, the figures show.
In Northern Ireland, the LMC says that the average R3 heifer price for the week ending June 28 was 477.0c/kg.
This places the Republic 48.3c/kg lower than the equivalent price in the North, it says.
The LMC says that the average R3 heifer price in the North is now up 31.7c/kg from 445.2c/kg in the week ending May 31.
This placed it 76.4c/kg higher than the EU average in the week ending June 28 compared to 51.9c/kg in the week ending May 31, 2015.
The UK retained the top spot in the EU league table of R3 heifer price with an equivalent price of
488.8c/kg in the week ending June 28, 2015, the LMC says.
This is an increase of 25.4c/kg from the week ending May 31, it says.
The increase in the UK R3 heifer price resulted in the UK/EU price differential widening from 70.1c/kg in the w/e May 31 to 88.2c/kg in the week ending June 28, it says.
Image: Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC)