Beef price tracker 2

Thanks @amacca

When i was selling weanlings id always have a price/kg.

Pre Ukraine/covid I was at 2.40/kg to cover getting the weanling to sale price.

Thats fert,silage,contractor,cost of keeping cow etc.

Bps & scheme payments were untouched bar one year where i expanded numbers.

I suppose what I'm asking is what price are lads willing to offload at as we have no real base line to operate off of.

Neighbour here contract reared out 30 AAX heifers back in March til 3 weeks ago, he has now decided to contract rear them for the winter & sell then for grass demand.

Considering he's on his own milking 70 cows why bother but thats his own call, I asked him what he wanted for them 3 weeks ago & also nxt march...couldn't put a figure on it

As I trade I work it slightly different I try to sell cattle at what I consider price peaks of they are fit. I try to buy back to achieve an average marginnof 900 euro. My costs were around 450 for 12ish month cattle. That is climbing to 500 euro, If it's weanlings I am replacing and the period to finish is 16-20 ish months the costs are 700-750 and the netmargin I expect is 750-800.

I am not into holding cattle as such. I think a few people this year wanted to maximise weight and taught the price would remain stable. Problem with the way the Cartel work is flat prices suit them.as it allows them to drop factory price by 30-40c/ kg in one go and make it look like they are only pulling the base by 10c/ kg

30 months was originally brought in because of BSE. It was used to restore customer confidence in beef. When QA was brought it to try to improve beef prices it was tied to 30 months.

At the time there was lots of suckler bred cattle and heavy cattle were an issue for processors so it was used to limit carcasse weights. I have more of a problem with no QA paudvon P grade cattle U 30 months or only 12c for O- cattle. However I do not get too hung up on it.

The move now is to reduce slaughter age so it's not going to change

30 months was a regulation brought in regard to BSE. Cattle over 30.months had to be tested. If I remember right in abattoir the order of slaughter was U30 months cattle, over 30 month cattle and then cows.

I think even before QA there was an extra insurance charge on over 30m cattle and either a reduced price or was it a flat fee to cover the costs involved. In the event of an animal failing the test the carcasse either side of it were send off as SRM again if I remember right.

There was significant variation In price and processors often only killed U30m for periods in the autumn

QA was bought in the mid noughties. 30 months was set as the age limit and other penalties were disregarded with the exception of insurance costs. Even up until 5-6 years ago some markets would not accept over 30.month Irish cattle

Did the processors use it to there advantage . Yes they did they used it to flush out cattle and to start the Autumn price pull in August., However 30 months was not originally bought in by processors

I get the bse 30month thing plus the 4 movement rule but so many times this year you could have sold a 4 year old bullock or heifer at the same price as one under 30 months. The factories can't be allowed to change the rules when it suits them.

Like now they are importing an amount of beef and processing it to keep their orders. I would love to bring store cattle to Carlisle but im not allowed.

hearing same.