Figures reflect fine margins
THIS week’s ringside charts in the bullock and heifer sections highlight the fine margins involved.
While the bullock table shows an almost uniform downward movement, and the heifers something similar, the average movements in many cases are delicate, nothing more than 2-3c/kg.
The mini mart section has lots on increased numbers coming on-stream across the country. However, the impact is is not as dramatic as might have been expected.
The biggest movement in the bullock section is in the 300-399kg division with the average price here falling 7c/kg or €21-28/hd. However, the top quarter of animals here actually gained 6c/kg.
Why? The from mart managers at the weekend is that poorer quality dairy crosses are not popular, but anything with a bit of quality to it is selling.
But what about the falls in all the other weight brackets where quality didn’t save the price from falling? Indeed, but given the increase in numbers the figures in anything above 500kgs are marginal with the 500-599kg animal seeing no movement in his average price, while the over 600kg bullock dropped by the bare 1c/kg or €6/hd. Losses in the 400-499kg bracket are more significant and amounted to between €1620/hd or 4c/kg.
It’s a similar story among the heifers with average prices here falling by no more than 3c/kg, or €12-15/hd. This was also the case in the 400-499kg section with all the other weight divisions falling by that bare minimum of 1c/kg.
In short, despite increased numbers and rumours of factory price pulls the balancing affect of men with cattle killed and strong cheque books coupled to a forecast that says grass growing days are here again saw the trade of bullocks and heifers remain fairly firm last week.
What did affect the average prices at the end of the day were those poorer quality animals with a dairy bias that are starting to appear in larger numbers.
In the weanling trade the major movement is in the 100299kg bull section with prices last week rising by an average of 17c/kg to sit on 2.99/kg, with the top quarter rising by almost the same at 16c/kg to €3.05/kg.
This gives you an average price of €299-894/hd and €305912/hd for the top quarter. Other movements in the bull sector are minimal week-on-week.
What drove the price of these lighter bulls last week was the belief that the trade to Turkey may finally get the green light.
However, there are other markets where quality delivers. Mountrath’s special Belgian Blue sale last week saw buyers from the UK and Northern Ireland who pushed the better heifer weanling into €3.00-3.80/kg. The better bull destined for the continent made from €3.00-3.44kg. Farmer buyers were pushed down the scale into O and R grade stock at prices between €2.00-2.75/kg, with €2.90/kg the absolute top.