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Cattle prices soften, with no let-up in feed costs
Wednesday, 13 October 2021
Cattle prices lost a little more ground in the week ending 9 October. The GB all-prime deadweight average was 408.5p/kg, 0.8p lower than the week before. Prime throughput in GB abattoirs rose by 600 on the week to 30,800 head.
Overall prices for steers and heifers lost around a penny, to average 409.7p/kg and 407.9p/kg respectively. Cattle meeting R4L specification fared slightly better and were more or less steady at 419.4p/kg for steers and 418.6p/kg for heifers. Young bulls on the other hand increased in price, the overall average rising 2.5p to 400.9p/kg.
Overall cow prices also fell, by 2.1p to average 271.1p/kg. Those meeting the -O4L specification fetched 293.4p/kg, a drop of 1.3p on the week. GB abattoirs killed 12,300 cows in the week, 900 more than a week earlier.
While cattle returns are high at present, the prospect of continued high feed costs, driven by further tightness in the global wheat supply picture, will only squeeze margins further as we head into winter. Early reports suggest that the UK maize harvest is progressing well, which could offer some help towards winter feed supplies.
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