Please Note: The Farm Stock Scotland staff are hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning on Friday 26thSeptember in the meeting room at Leader House, Mill Road, Earlston, TD4 6DG.
Everyone is most welcome and hopefully we will raise some money for the Charity. (Please see poster below)
Cattle
AHDB report that Irish cattle prices have surpassed UK average prices for the first time in three years. A 5% decline in year on year numbers of finished beef cattle is being predicted by Bord Bia. Back at home there seems to be plenty of cattle around for the time being, with abattoirs reporting full kills. Base prices in the region of 635-655p with native premiums in the region of 10-15p dependent on local demand.
Cull cows are coming forward in bigger numbers now with prices starting to come under pressure. If you have empty cull cows to move, please move quickly to avoid the traditional price drop at the end of September. Base prices 550-65p in the last week. If you have never marketed cows with us before, please consider us as we have access to multiple outlets and maximise your returns by a combination of price and fieldsman drawing stock to hit spec.
We have a number of members with large stocks of feed barley looking for store cattle 400kg plus, suckled calves and beef x dairy calves on and off milk.
We respectively note that we assume that all livestock booked in are fully farm assured and satisfy all the requirements of abattoir FCI forms. Please notify your fieldsman if your animals are not farm-assured.
Sheep
Prime lamb values have found a level in the last week with the trade for standard lambs trading in the region of 640-670p/kg with prices varying on lamb quality and processor dressing spec. Demand remains solid despite large numbers coming forward. Prices remain equal to or slightly ahead of last year. There have been some minor abattoir breakdowns which have disrupted some movements last week but overall, members sheep are moving within7-10 days. The relaxing of the Bluetongue restrictions in the next fortnight will ease transport rules which have been an issue for some members south of the border moving finished stock north.
As well as the usual demand for standard weights (16-22kg)we have orders for lights (12-15kg) and heavier lambs (22kg plus).
Excellent batches of conventional store lambs available. Many of which come highly recommended and can come dipped, dosed and vaccinated in most cases. Some good batches of breeding stock still available including ewe lambs, gimmers and a dispersal of Texel and Romtex ewes.
We would like to thank all our members for shutting lambs in the night before pickup (8 hours minimum) It makes a massive difference to the cleanliness of the lambs on arrival at the abattoir and maximises the shelf life of what is a very expensive product.
Organics
Organic cattle supply and demand remains evenly balanced with cattle to 750p in the last week. Good batches of organic cattle coming forward off grass. We have a member looking for organic reared dairy calves. Please get in touch if you have any.
Large numbers of organic lambs coming forward. This is probably the largest peak of organic lambs we have seen in several years and this is having an impact on prices. Nonetheless we expect this peak to be short lived. Organic lambs into 5 abattoirs last week. Excellent batches of organic store lambs available.
