Market factors support increase in cattle price
IFA National Livestock Chairman Brendan Golden said cattle prices continue to strengthen, a position driven by both tighter supplies and strong retail demand.
He said procurement managers and agents are on the road scrambling for stock, offering deals which include the full cost of transport, removal of weight restrictions and additional price top-ups.
The base price continues to rise with some deals for steers at €3.55/ 3.60/kg and deals for heifers at €3.60/ 3.70/kg.
Brendan Golden said the supply balance has swung in favour of the farmer and feeders should dig in hard and negotiate a strong premium above the quoted base price as well as transport and other specifications.
IFA: Issues facing our farm community
IFA President Tim Cullinan writes:
This week, three political parties will attempt to move forward the serious business of working out a Programme for Government. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had already agreed a Framework document.
Now the Green Party has voted to enter talks. It’s almost 100 days since the country went to the polls. In normal times, a new Government would be assessed on its achievements in that time. Not so in the situation we have at the moment.
If nothing else comes from Covid-19, we should approach significant policy decisions in a mature and measured way. The latest stark warning from the UN World Food Programme is that the pandemic will push an additional 130 million people to the brink of starvation. Undoubtedly, the Green Party will seek to extract concessions in return for participating in the next Government. The task for the two main parties is to avoid travelling down a cul-de-sac in the pursuit of ideology.