12 FEBRUARY 2018

ICSA beef chairman Edmund Graham has said demand for cattle has picked up this week and has urged farmers to sell hard. “Factories are anxious for cattle at the moment so there is room to bargain hard,” he said.

“Two boats will also leave the country towards the end of the month, one going to Libya and the other to Turkey. Cattle are actively being sought by live exporters to fill these contracts so there are options there.”

“Unlike previous contracts, this contract for Turkey is for heavier forward store cattle rather than the 300kg weanlings which were a feature of previous contracts. For Libya the focus is more on Friesian bulls around the 400kg mark.”

“In addition, I want to remind farmers that their cattle don’t necessarily have to be sold on the grid. It is possible to negotiate a flat price per kilo directly with the factory so this is always worth bearing in mind.”

ENDS