Heavy stock take marginal hit on prices

PRESSURE from extra numbers, variable quality and uncertainty about what may happen beef prices between now and Christmas dampened the previous week’s recovery in prices for bullocks over 500kgs.

I say ‘dampened’ because overall average falls of 1-2c/ kg €5-10/hd are knife-edge calculations given that below 500kgs averages rose by between 1-4c/kg.

The ringside message from last week seems to be that buyers are getting on with their business while still being cautious about future prospects.

Jim Bush of New Ross mart told me of a conversation he had with a buyer who would normally be in the market for significant numbers of Charolais bullocks.

It was an exchange that touches on several pertinent points.

As Jim scanned down this man’s purchase sheet he asked why he seemed to have switched from Charolais to Angus.

“Because there not in it” was the reply.

This reflects the fact that many, often younger, suckler farmers, have either scaled back, given up or have moved to dairy.

Granted New Ross in county Wexford is only one sales yard, and it is in a traditional dairy area.

However, other mart managers as far north as Ballymahon in Longford have also commented over the autumn that numbers of good suckler bred stock appear to be in decline.

As to the issue of buying while the numbers last, that’s only commonsense.

So despite the weather and factory prices struggling to stabilise, the business of buyers stocking up for either winter fattening or next summer grazing is getting done.

Moving to the heifer tables the story here is also of moderate improvement with overall averages below 600kgs either stable or improved by 1-3c/kg.

The 600kg+ heifer on the other hand took yet another hit last week as prices fell by 4c/kg or €24/hd.

Worse still is the fact it’s the fourth week in succession that she’s lost ground.

A month ago the ringside figures for the week ending September 17 showed her overall average price was €2.14/kg or €1,284/hd.

By the end of last week that average figure was back to €2.02/kg or €1,212/hd.

On a more positive note last week did see the top quarter of heifers in the 600kg+ section rise in price by 6c/kg or €36/hd, so maybe, just maybe a corner has been turned.

Last week’s averages in the weanling section reflect the importance of the live shipping trade in the maintance of viable weanling prices.

With shippers reported as not overly active, overall average prices for bulls fell from 5-8c/kg or €20-48/hd.

Worst hit were the poorer quality animals with the poorer animal in the 300-399kg division.

These slipped by 11c/kg or from €33-44/hd while the bottom quarter of the 400-600kg section fell by 12c/kg which is €48-72/hd.

BUYERS ARE CAUTIOUS BUT STILL GETTING ON WITH THEIR BUSINESS