The latest update if the EU cattle price league table by the Livestock and Meat Commission puts Ireland in 10th position.
It shows while prices in Britain and Northern Ireland (NI) have shown strong increases in euro terms prices in recent weeks Irish prices have recorded a slight decline. In the week ending September 21 the R3 heifer price was 356.6c/kg, down 2.6c/kg from the 359.1c/kg paid in the week ending August 24.
This moved it down one position on the league table to tenth position. The Irish price in the week ending September 21 was 28.0c/kg below the EU average price and 57.1c/kg lower than the equivalent price in Northern Ireland.
The LMC outline that the EU cattle prices league table provides a useful summary of developments in farmgate prices across key EU markets. EU countries are ranked in terms of their R3 heifer price which provides a good indicator of the trade across the EU.
Britain has retained top spot in the EU league table with an equivalent R3 heifer price of 443.7c/kg. This is an increase of 19.5c/kg from the week ending 24 August 2014. This strong increase in the GB R3 heifer price saw the GB/EU price differential widen from 43.5c/kg in the week ending August 24 to 59.1c/kg in the week ending September 21.
Meanwhile in NI the LMC also outline in the week ending September 21 the R3 heifer price in NI was the equivalent of 413.7c/kg, up 10.9c/kg from 402.8c/kg in the week ending 24 August 2014. That put the NI R3 heifer price 29.1c/kg higher than the EU average in the week ending September 21 compared to 22.1c/kg in the week ending August 24. This increase in the R3 heifer price moved it up one position on the league table to second place.
LMCNI