There has been no real recovery in live cattle exports to Northern Ireland, according to the Bord Bia Beef and Livestock Sector Manager Joe Burke.
Burke said that live cattle exports to the North have been affected by the close Irish and Northern Irish beef price and, as a result Irish live cattle movements to the North have fallen this year.
Figures from Bord Bia show that live cattle exports to Northern Ireland are down 41.2% this year to the week ending May 7.
Burke also highlighted the fall in cattle shipments to Northern Ireland during the week ending May 8, when 518 cattle crossed the border (329 finished and 189 stores) compared to 1,507 head during the same week in 2015.
The Beef and Livestock and Beef sector manager continued to say that this will “obviously have an impact on the number of cattle going to slaughter in Irish plants.”
Traditionally a small amount of cull cows would have been shipped from Northern Ireland for direct slaughter in the Republic, while prime cattle exports have remained small, he said.
Burke said that Northern Irish prime cattle are eligible for the Red Tractor Label, which means the beef produced can be sold on UK shelves as UK beef.
And, this limits some the Northern Irish prime cattle slaughterings in the Republic.
However, Irish O grade cows are now making more than similar cows slaughtered in the North.
Burke said that Irish O grade cows are trading from 315c/kg, while Northern Irish cows are selling for an average price of 297c/kg.
Northern Irish cow imports on the rise
The number of Northern Irish cull cows crossing the border for slaughter in the Republic is up 11% on 2015 levels, figures from the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) show.
So far this year, just over 4,100 Northern Irish cull cows have been imported into Ireland for slaughter. This is an increase of 405 head on the same time last year.
The number of cows imported from the north also increased in April, due to the price differential in cow prices either side of the border.