Factories continue to turn the screws on beef finishers

Commenting on last week’s meeting with Minister Simon Coveney, a spokesman for Meat Industry Ireland (MII) said the fac tories would continue dialogue with the Department of Agriculture in relation to market requirements and beef sector development. We’ll see how that works out.

Quotes for the steers this week range from 390c/kg to 400c/kg with 395 - 400c/kg being paid.

GAMES

Factories are definitely playing games because I spoke to some farmers who have had cattle put back from week to week while others have gotten calls to s ee i f t hey would ki l l t he following day.

One of the farmers was quoted €4/kg for his steers to 380kg. Heifer quotes are generally at 395-400c/kg. With both the heifers and bullocks t he 400c/kg is just proving a little more difficult to nail down this week. The best I heard for bulls was 370c/kg for heavy underage bulls. In the main, the U grades are making 360-370c/kg, with many plants imposing penalties over 420kg. R grades are making 350-355c/kg, while the Os are at 320-340c/kg.

Cull cows have slipped across the board with the best of them now making €3.20-3.30/kg.

The Rs range from €3.10 to €3.30/kg, with the higher figure only available if a large number of suitably fleshed cows are on offer. Prices and quotes for the O grades are generally in the 280-290c/kg bracket, while the Ps are making 260-275c/kg

Cumulative supplies for the year are running at more than 13,000hd or 7pc higher than t he fi gures f or t he corresponding period last year.

There was an increase in supplies of heifers and young bulls, while steers, cull cows and other cattle remain similar compared to last year's figures.

Last week’s estimated kill from the Department of Agriculture stood at 32,220hd, some 1,900hd higher than the corresponding week 12 months ago.

In Britain, trade remains slow overall with supplies meeting demand levels.

Demand for steak and round cuts remain steady with little uplift reported.

Trade for manufacturing product remains weak. Reported cattle prices from the AHDB remain steady with GB R4L grade steers averaging at Stg374.8p/kg deadweight (equivalent to 480c/kg including VAT deadweight).

In France, trade was reported as continuing to remain slow which is usual for this time of year. Continued mild weather is reported to have reduced the demand for forequarter cuts. The R3 young bull price was up 2c to €4.11/kg including VAT, while the 03 cow price was up 2c to €3.54/kg.

In Italy, the market is reported as evenly balanced between supply and demand. The R3 young bull price was down 2c to €4.24/kg inclusive of VAT, while the 03 cow price was unchanged at €2.88/kg.

For the full year 2013, the value of meat and livestock exports increased by 8pc to reach around €3.3bn. Total finished cattle supplies at export meat plants are expected to increase by around 100,000, or 7pc, in 2014.