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The backlog in cattle which developed during the protests is being compounded in the last week by producers looking to get cattle moved faster in response to deteriorating ground conditions.
Grazing conditions in general are worst in the west and northern regions, but many finishers in the east and south are now also looking to reduce the grazing intensity and move a percentage of stock.
The time lag from booking to getting cattle accepted for slaughter varies between plants, animal type and the producer-processor relationship.
A significant number of factories continue to focus on working through the backlog of steers and heifers, with lower appetite for young bulls and cows.
This is reflected in last week’s throughput figures. The kill was recorded at 37,056 head, with a massive 18,326 steers processed and a higher than normal heifer kill of 11,462. This left just 2,240 bulls aged under 24 months, 480 aged over 24 months and 4,405 cows.
There is also a preference in some plants in accepting cattle that are at most risk of going over the 30-month age limit, with less priority for cattle already over 30 months.
The steer base has come under pressure in some areas, with higher numbers being quoted a base of €3.45/kg and smaller numbers trading at the higher base of €3.50/kg.
Heifers range from €3.50/kg to €3.55/kg, with only choice deals and cattle purchased by Liffey Meats moving at a 5c/kg higher base. The latter’s appetite for stock appears to be sluggish.
The kill is still not back up to full capacity, with throughput at this stage in 2018 approaching 40,000.
Some factories report that they will not be in a position to return to full capacity yet due to workers not returning after the protests, while others say they are operating overtime and additional shifts.
As expected, the change in weather is also starting to bring more cows on to the market, with this evident in cow entries in mart sales this week.
Cow prices have dipped in some plants by anywhere from 5c/kg to 15c/kg on their re-opening.
P+3 grading cows range from as low as €2.65/kg to €2.80/kg, while O grading cows range from €2.75/kg to €2.90/kg. R grades are equally variable, ranging from €3.00/kg to €3.20/kg, with U grades from €3.20/kg to €3.30/kg. .
With factories working to clear the backlog of bulls from specialist finishers, there is low demand for sellers handling small numbers.
General prices range from €3.40/kg to €3.45/kg for R grades, while U grades range from €3.50/kg to €3.55/kg.
There is also a big variance between carcase weight limits being set, with some plants slower to quote for bulls over 420kg to 430kg, while others are offering more leniency up to 30kg to 50kg higher.
It is hard to get a gauge on price on bulls less than 16 months trading on the grid due to mixed demand, with the general base price reported ranging from €3.40/kg to €3.45/kg.
Northern trade
The northern trade is relatively steady at a U-3 base of £3.12/kg to £3.20/kg. This equates to €3.51/kg to €3.60/kg at 89.9p to the euro.
Britain
The average price across all grades held for steers at £3.24/kg (€3.79/kg when VAT is added, but heifers were back 1.3p/kg to an average of £3.24/kg also (€3.79/kg).
Average cow prices were back 2.3p on average to £2.20/kg (€2.58/kg).
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