Supply shortage keeping prices high
Michael Harty of Central Auctions in North Tipperary suspects we are “in an in-between time”, with the bigger numbers of early grass cattle and buyers still some weeks away.
This assessment is borne out by the data from marts.
The one area where there has been consistency of supply from week to week on the bullock side is the 500-600kgs, while on the heifer side it is a bit broader, spanning 400-600kg.
Above and below these weights, prices are being driven up by the shortage of numbers but pulled down by the quality of what is on offer in many dairy areas.
In areas with a tradition of better stock, the supply shortage has helped prices significantly.
Afraid
At Ballymote last week, 420-430kg Charolais cattle sold to €1,600/hd. “We had men here who travelled a distance to buy because they are afraid the numbers of quality cattle will not be there in the future,” said mart manager David Faulken.
Joe Clune of Sixmilebridge reckons the decision of marts to hold special beef sales early in the year is a major contributing factor to the consistency of supply of those 500-600kg steers.
“Some farmers who might traditionally factoried all their stock have in recent years targeted show and sales with their top-end animals,” he said.
“They buy what they buy across the autumn and then pick the best and bring them to the forward store stage and then bring them out in January and February.”
This change in approach began in earnest a number of years ago but only became really viable, in my opinion, by the expansion of feedlot and specialist feeder numbers.
For those moving away from factorying all their stock later in the year it has meant good prices, reduced feeding bills and a welcome injection of cash ahead of the spring and summer.
In the here and now, last week’s ringside figures show that the overall average price of the better animal across all weight divisions continues to improve.
On the bullock side, better continentals generally made €3.14-3.20/kg, with that €3.20/kg figure coming in the 300400kg section. This took the overall average of all continental steers to €2.772.90/kg.
Top-end Angus and Herefords ranged from €2.88-2.94/kg across all weights, with the overall average falling back to €2.63-2.71/kg, which is nothing to be sneezed at.
Friesian bullocks continue to appear, but like everything else not in the traditional numbers, due in no small way to the expansion of the Hereford and Angus breeds in the planning of the dairy sector. Overall average prices for those black and whites ranged from €2.08/ kg in the 300-400kg bracket to €2.31/ kg for 400-500kgs, with the tops from 300-600kg making €2.37-2.51/kg.
Among the heifers, better continentals rose to €3.16-3.28/kg with both the 400-500kgs the 600kg+ seeing an overall average of €3.28/kg.
The overall average of all continental heifers also improved before settling at €2.84/kg for 350-400kgs and €3.00/kg in the 600kg+ division.
Hereford and Angus heifers were more steady than improved at €2.542.74/kg overall, with the better ones staying at €2.88-2.92/kg.