NI beef trade: Price pull on the cards for next week

June Beef Prices

Beef prices may have moved up a notch across plants in Northern Ireland this week (June 2022), but the LMC (Livestock and Meat Commission) anticipates a fall next week.

According to the commission, U-3 grade prime cattle quotes remained “steady” at 422-432p/kg at the end of this week.

However, the body claims that prices factories paid indicate that higher prices are available than “these quotes would suggest”. It expects quotes for prime cattle to fall between 420-432p/kg next week.

Moreover, it has reported that trade for cows also “remained steady” this week, with quotes for “good quality” O+3 grade cows ranging from 280-376p/kg.

• Last week, the average steer price rose by 2.2p/kg from the previous week to 437.7p/kg with the R3 steer price up by just over 2p/kg to 447.5p/kg. In the corresponding week in 2021, the R3 steer price was 390.8p/kg;
• Meanwhile, the average heifer price in NI last week was 438.1p/kg, up marginally from the previous week. Furthermore, the LMC reports that the R3 heifer price was 447.1p/kg, up by a penny from the previous week. In the same week last week, its records show that the R3 heifer price was 393.5p/kg;
• Lastly, the average NI cow price last week increased by 3.8p/kg to 359.5p/kg. Meanwhile, the O3 cow price increased by 1.8p/kg to 385.7p/kg.

Slaughterings

According to the LMC, prime cattle slaughterings in local plants last week amounted to 7,024 head.

This brings prime cattle throughput for the last six weeks to 45,109 head.

This is an increase of 12% or 4,838 head from the corresponding six-week period in 2021 when prime cattle throughput came to 40,271 head.

Cow slaughterings in NI last week totalled 1,975 head which brings cow throughput for the last six weeks to 12,013 head.

It says that this is 14.9% higher than the 10,454 cows slaughtered in the same six-week period last year.

Exports and imports 

On the other hand, imports of cattle for direct slaughter from ROI last week increased to include 253 prime cattle and 129 cows.

No cattle were imported from GB for direct slaughter last week. Meanwhile exports from NI to ROI for direct slaughter last week comprised of four prime cattle, 110 cows and five bulls.

For the fourth consecutive week reports indicate that no cattle were exported from NI to GB for direct slaughter.

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