Base quotes for in spec U-3 grade prime cattle remained steady across NI plant this week, according to the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC).
354-360p/kg was forked out for this category, with quotes for early next week expected to range from 354-362p/kg.
The cow trade also remained steady across the plants this week at 260-280p/kg for good quality O+3 grades with similar quotes expected for early next week.
Throughput
Prime cattle throughput in local plants last week totalled 6,727 head – an increase of 633 head on the 6,094 prime cattle processed the previous week.
Throughput of prime cattle for June totalled 26,302 head, a 4% increase on the corresponding period in 2019 when 25,342 prime cattle were processed.
In NI last week, the number of cows processed totalled 2,208 head. Cow throughput in June totalled 8,548 representing a 21% increase on the 7,088 cows processed in June 2019.
Imports
Imports for direct slaughter from ROI last week consisted of 554 prime cattle and 265 cows, the LMC added.
This, it added, brings the total imports to date from ROI to 8,675 head, an increase of 3,308 head when compared to the same period in 2019.
Exports from NI for direct slaughter in ROI plants last week consisted of five prime cattle and 42 cows. This brings the total exports to date from NI to 1,369 head, a decrease of 1,406 head when compared to the corresponding period in 2019. Prices
“Tight prime cattle supplies continue to influence the NI deadweight trade with increases reported across the majority of grades last week.”
The average steer price in NI last week was 355.3p/kg, up 1.2p/kg from the previous week while the average NI heifer price increased by 3.6p/kg to 356.2p/kg.
The NI R3 steer and heifer price last week both reported a price of 364.4p/kg, up by 2.3p/kg and 2.8p/kg from the previous week.
These NI R3 steer and heifer prices were last reported in late June/early July 2018.
Meanwhile, the LMC outlined, last week the average NI cow price came back by 1.5p/kg to 267.1p/kg while the O3 cow price was up by 1.4p/kg to 286.3p/kg.
GB regions
“There has been a mixed deadweight prime cattle trade across the GB regions last week from the previous week.”
The average steer price was back by half-a-penny to 359.9p/kg while the R3 steer price was back just over a penny to 367p/kg, according to the LMC.
The R3 steer price declined in Northern England (-4.3p/kg) and Southern England (-1p/kg) with increases reported in Scotland (+2.2p/kg) and the Midlands (+0.6p/kg).
The average heifer price in GB last week increased by 1.2p/kg to 362.3p/kg with the R3 heifer price up by 1.8p/kg to 369.3p/kg from the previous week.
The R3 heifer price increased in Scotland (+5.8p/kg), Northern England (+0.7p/kg) and the Midlands (+1.9p/kg) while a decline was reported in Southern England (-1.8p/kg).
