Beef quotes have been slashed once again, with a base price of €3.60/kg on the table for steers and heifers in plants across the country.
Deals of €3.65/kg are being negotiated between some suppliers and beef factories.
Between €2.80-€3.30/kg is being quoted for cull cows, while young O/R/U grade bulls are ranging from €3.30-€3.65/kg.
Throughput
Figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s database show that 37,898 cattle were presented for slaughter during the week commencing March 16th.
Summary:
- Young bulls: 2,698;
- Bulls: 473;
- Steers: 13,098;
- Cows: 6,701;
- Heifers: 11,494.
Supplies expected to tighten
Farmers and factories need to work together to steady the beef trade at this critical time, according to IFA national livestock chairman, Brendan Golden.
He feels that major responsibility is with factories not to “pull prices and undermine the trade”. He said farmers need to avoid moving any under-finished cattle.
“With orderly marketing, cattle supplies are expected to tighten over the next number of weeks, and this should help steady the trade,” Golden added.
The farm organisation is calling for the suspension of non-EU beef imports, especially South American beef imports, which fail to meet EU standards.
It is also requesting that the EU Commission puts necessary funding in place to support farmers and keep the food supply chain operational.
