Ireland has dropped to fourth on the EU deadweight beef prices league table, the latest Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) figures show.
Sweden is the country that has overtaken Ireland with an average R3 heifer price of 417.1c/kg for the week ending March 15 2015, an increase of 19.4c/kg from the week ending February 15 2015.
In the Republic of Ireland, the average R3 heifer price for the week ending March 15 was 413.3c/kg, this is down 6.4c/kg from the 419.8 c/kg paid in the week ending February 15, the LMC says.
It says that this latest price is 11.9c/kg above the EU average price of 401.4c/kg for the week ending March 15.
LMC figures show that in Northern Ireland the average R3 heifer price for the week ending March 15 was the equivalent of 495.0c/kg which is up 13.7c/kg from 481.3c/kg in the week ending February 15.
The average price for an R3 heifer in the North was 93.6c/kg higher than the EU average for the week ending March 15. For the week ending February 15 the average price for an R3 heifer was 79.6c/kg, the LMC says.
Northern Ireland continues to hold its second place spot on the EU league table and the latest LMC figures show that the average R3 heifer price in the North was the equivalent of 81.7c/kg higher than the average price in the Republic for the week ending March 15.
The UK continues to retain the top spot on the EU league table with an equivalent price of 503.1c/kg and this is an increase of 10.0c/kg from the week ending February 15. This further increase has resulted in the UK/EU price differential widening from 91.3c/kg in the week ending March 15 to 101.7c/kg in the week ending March 15.
LMC League Table