Prices being paid for store cattle are rising at a faster pace than beef cattle prices, according to Mid Tipperary Co Operative Livestock Mart (Thurles Mart) manager Martin Ryan.
Speaking to Agriland after the cattle sale at the mart venue in on Monday, November 4, the mart manager said:
“The lift we’re seeing in the stores isn’t really being matched by the lift in the factory. The stores are lifting that little bit quicker.”
The mart manager noted a farmer that sold over a dozen continental bullocks with an average weight of 580kg that made €3.12/kg and were bought by both farmers and exporters.
Sample bullock prices from the Monday sale at Thurles Mart:
- 550kg Charolais bullock sold for €1,850 or €3.36/kg;
- Six 507kg Friesian bullocks sold for €1,180 or €2.33/kg;
- Five 498kg Angus bullocks sold for €1,450 or €2.91/kg;
- 460kg Hereford bullock sold for €1,420 or €3.09/kg;
- Seven 367kg Hereford bullocks sold for €1,100 or €3.00/kg.
He said the prices for the heavier cattle are “creeping up slowly” but the smaller cattle in the 400-450kg weight bracket are lifting “that bit quicker”.
Commenting on the trade for Friesian bullocks he said “there’s lots of them making over the €2.00/kg” mark and that last week, two pens of 470kg Friesian bullocks averaged approximately €2.50/kg. “The good Friesians are a real good trade at the minute”.
Sample heifer prices from Thurles Mart:
- 445kg Charolais heifer sold for €1,590 or €3.57/kg;
- Five 502kg Hereford heifers sold for €1,400 or €2.79/kg;
- Five 418kg Angus heifers sold for €1,050 or €2.51/kg;
- Three 595kg Angus heifers sold for €1,680 or €2.82/kg;
- Three 453kg Simmental heifers sold for €1,100 or €2.43/kg.
There was over 110 Friesian bullocks in the sale at Thurles Mart on Monday averaging €1,145/head and ranged in price from €700-€1,900 ranging in weights from 380-770kg.
“Farmers buying cattle are all counting them too dear but there are always the farmers who want to buy them before the end of the year.”
The mart manager believes farmers who bought cattle this spring and are selling them now are still getting money despite the strong trade this spring.
Cattle supplies
The mart manager said cattle numbers being sold at Thurles Mart this year “are a long way ahead” of this time last year.
“What we’re seeing is there’s farmers that usually source cattle in the spring and they’re starting to come back to sell their cattle now so will the numbers be there next year is the next question.”
The mart manager noted the large weekly kills recently as well as the high export numbers and said “if everything is taken out of the system and the calf registrations are getting a bit smaller, it’s hard to see the same numbers of cattle around next year”.
The mart manager is hopeful that the beef trade will remain positive into 2025 but said that if this is not the case, “there’s going to be a lot of people left with dear cattle. It comes down to consumer demand for beef really”.