CATTLE PRICE UP Southern purchasers buying to build their herds

SOUTHERN buyers have been driving cattle prices up at the Dalrymple Saleyards.

Charters Towers Combined Agents spokesman Kerry Mills said a lot of buyers had been coming north as they chase cattle to build their herds.

The Charters Towers Combined Agents have conducted four sales in the past two weeks, with more than 12,000 head being offered to market, nearly double the usual number.

The cattle have been sourced from the Gulf, Tablelands, coastal and north western districts as graziers look to take advantage of the good prices available.

Mr Mills said the usual meat processors had been buying for abattoirs across the state, but the strong interest was in store cattle.

“The prices from the south have driven it up here,” he said.

“There’s a lot more southern buyers coming up here to take advantage of the stock on offer.

“The store cattle will go back south on oats and down in that southern country, into NSW.”

Mr Mills said the shortage of slaughter cattle was also bringing more competition.

At Wednesday’s prime cattle sale, bullocks reached a high of 325.2c/kg, while trade heifers sold for 329.2c/ kg. Bulls sold to a high of 350.2c/kg, returning $2401 a head for the vendor.

Store steers reached highs of 416c/kg, with store heifers topping at 356c/kg.

A year ago prime steers were selling for 259c/kg and store steers were making 287c/kg for graziers.

Butcher Tom Lusk from Tom’s Quality Meats said while cattle prices had improved at the sales, shoppers were unlikely to see much of a rise at the butcher.

“It has gone up obviously, but nothing too much more than what people are used to,” he said. “It’s only a small rise, but what there has been if anything is more of a tightening in supply.

“There might be a few things in the short term that we might not have all the time, but there won’t be too much of an effect on prices.”

Mr Lusk said his biggest sellers – crumbed steak and rump steak – would still be in plentiful supply.

The combined livestock agents will be back to a weekly sale next week.

But Mr Mills said the last week of the financial year would see prime and store sales conducted on June 24 and 26.