McNamara: 'Equivalent of €8.50/kg to be got at the mart'
The prices being paid for beef cattle at marts "are the equivalent of €8.50/kg" [carcass weight], according to the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) president Sean McNamara.
The ICSA president has told Agriland that the mart trade for forward store and beef cattle is "remaining very strong" and indicated that "there is a lot more money to be got for beef cattle than what the factories are currently quoting".
McNamara said that procurement staff "are very anxious for cattle", adding that he expects supplies of beef cattle to be "very tight" for the remainder of May and into June.
"Cattle are going to be shocking tight for May and into June because there's no right grass or anything for anyone to finish cattle.
"A lot of places are burning up with the dry weather and the frost at night is stalling growth. It's giving a few weeks of dry weather now and a lot of ground that has been grazed is slow to come back.
"If you take a beef animal and see what they're making at the marts, assuming 55% kill out, a lot of these cattle would be equating to a price of €8.50/kg (carcass weight)."
The ICSA president's message to farmers with forward store or beef cattle to sell that are in test was: 'Don't be afraid of the mart to sell them'.
He said that numbers of forward store cattle available has dropped off significantly in the past week and that "factory agents are ripping each other out of it" to get buying stock.
He said that forward store and beef cattle at the marts are currently "a savage trade" and that "the right cow is nearly making as much as a prime beef bullock".
McNamara added that "Quality Assurance (QA) status or the age of the cattle is making no difference" and that these older, out-of-spec cattle "are making just as much as prime cattle once they are sufficiently fleshed".
