Journalists

Factories: Lamb prices slide as beef protests bite 

While all sheep factories were able to resume operations last week, following the suspension of protests organised to aid beef producers, those with sheep to sell continue to suffer.

Martin Coughlan: Reality bites as factories move to cut quotes 

The big issue for those with stock to sell is being able to get them into the factory queue.

Slaughter backlog pushes prices down as farmers demand ban on beef imports 

A backlog as high as 100,000 cattle is weighing on beef prices as unsettled weather puts pressure on farmers to offload stock.

Factories 'spinning' tall tales about quality lamb from the North - ICSA 

The difficulties created by the beef blockades for sheep farmers and sheep processors continue to linger.

Blockades at meat factories end but beef market faces new struggles 

The final blockades at meat factories across the country were lifted over the weekend, but facilities are running at a reduced capacity this week.

Lamb prices down €11/hd on last year 

"The weather is playing hell" was the refrain from across the country yesterday as the heavens opened yet again. On the price front, most of the major players continue to hold their quotes for lamb at last week's levels, with only Kepak Athleague breaking cover and lunging downwards.

Martin Coughlan: German trade fair reflects scale of the challenges facing Irish food producers 

If you are serious about getting your product onto the international stage, the Anuga Food Fair is a must.

Martin Coughlan: Mart trade for out-of-spec and heavy stock a 'bloodbath' 

Mart trade across the country is dominated by continuing high turnouts.

Martin Coughlan: The beef lords giveth and the beef lords also taketh away 

A lot is being made in some quarters about the fact that many of those with cattle to kill are experiencing delays in getting their stock away. There can be no doubting there are delays with factories appearing to continue to prioritise younger stock or those in danger of going over age.

Lamb Prices: Factories blame Brexit fears for price woes 

The possibility of a hard Brexit at the end of the month is impacting the trade now, according to sheep factories.

Beef factories facing a labour crisis as workers exit the sector 

Serious labour shortages at the country's meat slaughtering plants is curtailing the beef industry's capacity to return to full production in the wake of the recent farmer protests.

Surge in cattle at the marts but backlog will take weeks to clear 

A surge in cattle numbers in the marts is forecast this week as the lifting of the factory blockades feeds back along the supply chain.

Beef prices: Farmers' resolve on the picket lines could yet prove a game-changer 

"This has been our Brexit" said one factory/farmer agent I met at the Ploughing last week. He was referring to the fallout from the recent factory protests, where trade at all levels was seriously disrupted.

Prices could collapse, mart managers tell protesters 

Both Brendan Egan of Castlerea Mart and Maurice Brosnan of Gortatlea feel that the factory protests are starting to have a noticeable effect on the mart trade.

Problems face those with factory sheep 

The men with factory sheep to sell continue to encounter problems in getting their produce away.

It's business as usual at the marts but bullock prices take a hiding 

'Cattle are coming earlier and are 50kgs heavier than this time last year," said Michael Harty of Central Auctions in Birr, Roscrea and Nenagh. Those are the positives at present.

Marts: Lighter stock under price pressure as numbers rise 

Billy Loftus of Ballina Mart told me he is beginning to see the weather impact his trade. "We've had a lot of rain over the last few weeks and our last sale was 10pc bigger than the same sale last year. Lads are moving a bit earlier as a result, I think."

Factories: Lamb prices steady but ewes take a hit 

As summer slips by and we head into the autumn, I wondered what monetary value do you put on a year that has given us exceptional grass growth.

Numbers back up as farmers take to protest at factory gates 

THE resumption of farmer protests outside factory gates yesterday morning came as a surprise to many in the farming community. Indeed, some of those I spoke with who have cattle ready to sell were cautious about welcoming a return to militant action.

Factories: Brief respite from falling lamb prices is over 

Our price table yet again contains no information on prices from either Dawn Ballyhaunis or Kepak Athleague prompting one observer to comment that there is "an east-west divide".

New figures reveal extent of beef price collapse 

Top-quality steers, heifers and cull cows have taken the greatest price hit over the past 12 months, according to figures from the Department of Agriculture.

Tough times may be ahead for autumn beef trade 

After two weeks of disruption due to farmer protests, full factory operations resumed on Monday last week, with that day's kill reaching 9,836hd.

Marts still feeling the aftershock of beef protests 

I asked Stephen Hannon of Ballymote to gaze into his mart crystal ball over the weekend.

It's business as usual for now as the factory bosses size up their options 

"A little rebellion every now and then is a good thing and is as necessary in the political world as storms are in the physical," was the verdict of Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States.

Sheep numbers may be tightening 

YESTERDAY saw a gradual return to normality after a very difficult seven days where a number of dual-purpose plants - factories that slaughter both sheep and cattle - either closed or were operating on reduced numbers due to the Beef Plan protest.

Mart prices start to contract sharply as uncertainty grips the trade 

There isn't any good news on the mart front this week.

Lamb Prices: Are we seeing the start of a price rally? 

As we went to press yesterday there were unconfirmed reports that ICM was now paying 40c/kg above their base price of €4.60/kg to individuals and producer groups. If true this means the top of the market is now at €5.00/kg.

Beef Trade: Out-of-spec or overage stock look set for a hammering 

Questioned as to whether the pickets currently outside beef plants will continue Beef Plan joint national chairman, Hugh Doyle, said over the weekend that the organisation intended to "scale up protests".

Martin Coughlan: This 'slash beef-grow dairy' approach is dangerously flawed 

If you're a beef finisher or suckler farmer, Professor John Fitzgerald's comments about protecting the dairy sector are about as inflammatory as it gets.

Beef Plan Protest - What happened when a farmer and cattle box arrived at the protest 

Yesterday's protest by the Beef Plan Movement outside the Dawn Meats plant in Granagh south Kilkenny showed the organisations members to be very determined.

Factories: Processors ramp up downward charge on sheep prices 

While the mart trade for stores roars ahead - with some sales seeing prices pushing right up to €90/hd, which is factory territory - actual factory quotes for lamb yesterday tumbled.

More misery as base price for steers slips back to €3.50/kg 

Trade continues to be very difficult. Reports from across the country yesterday indicated that a base price of €3.50/kg for bullocks has become the norm, with indications that the ABP group were attempting to pull weaker sellers back to €3.45/kg.

Marts: More woe as trade keeps ploughing downwards 

Despite reports of some positivity in the sale for better-quality stores, the trade for bullocks and heifers overall continues to plough downwards.

Beef sector is facing summer meltdown as prices slump to €3.50/kg 

The difficulties in the beef sector intensified this week as factories pulled prices across the board by 5c/kg or €15-20/hd.

Big numbers help factories put the squeeze on farmers 

The numbers keep coming, with last week's kill at 34,817, enabling factories to further squeeze prices.

Marts : Farmers feel mental strain in world of falling prices 

Each mart manager or auctioneer I have talked to over the last week has spoken of an air of despondency among their clients. Mart managers note many things as they go about their business, and when the mood music changes, they notice.

Prices in meltdown as factories turn up the heat 

Factory prices for sheep continue to melt, like an ice-cream cone in the July heat. Like that ice cream cone, the factories continue to bleed the value out of the farmers' lambs. What official quotes were available yesterday showed lambs to be back another 10-15c/kg.

Pace of factory price tumble shows signs of slowing down 

Factory prices remain under pressure. However - with the kill figures last week coming in at 34,650 - are there signs that the possibility of further downward pressure might be easing?

Still no good news on prices as factories turn the screw 

There is still no good news on the factory price front.

€100m beef fund proposal - 100-head limit on finished cattle, dairy herds won't qualify 

Dairy herds and cattle dealers won't be eligible for any of the €100m beef fund, according to the Department's proposal on the distribution of the fund.

Marts Report: Only low supply saving marts from meltdown 

Twelve months ago, we were in the middle of the longest dry spell in living memory - the long hot summer of 2018.

Factories: 1988 figures highlight rate of sheep decline 

Last Saturday's sheep sale marked the 30th anniversary of Mountbellew Mart, which spurred me to look at figures from the late '80s.

More gloom as cattle prices continue to plummet 

The mart trade seemed to be free-wheeling downhill last week, and things have got worse, with weanling bulls and heifers mostly shedding money at a really alarming rate.

Who's benefiting from lamb price cuts? 

"The job is not getting any better," one factory agent told me this week.

Pics and Prices: Mart trade on a downward slope at a rate of knots 

John O'Hanlon of Ballymahon mart says trade is to some extent "freewheeling". Freewheeling in the days when I owned a bicycle usually meant you were on a downward slope and you could rest a bit.

Lamb trade: 'The outlook, if agents are to be believed, is not good' 

The sheep trade continues to be under pressure.

Factories play chicken in bid to keep struggling farmers in line 

My probing on prices brought this response from one factory agent yesterday: "As long as you can buy a cooked chicken for €6 to feed a family, beef will be forever too dear."

Quality heifers jump 16c/kg despite mixed prices 

With grass continuing to grow very well across the country, marts also continue to see strong demand from farmers for stock to help manage that extra growth.

Factories claim lamb market is 'softening' 

While ICM have pulled their quote for lamb by 10c/kg to €5.40/kg plus bonuses, Kildare Chilling remained unchanged yesterday at €5.60+10c/kg QA, with Moyvalley coming in at €5.50/kg.

Beef Prices: 'Magnificent Seven' badly needed by beef farmers 

"If God did not want them sheared, He would not have made them sheep."

To buy or not to buy, that is the question in beef trade 

My daughter Emily returns this week from her trip to Tanzania, where she and a group from her school were involved in a rural building project.

Light at end of tunnel for sheep farmers as prices start to rise 

Reports from various marts around the country indicate that sheep prices are rising, with factories being forced to follow.

Beef Prices: Numbers game leaves farmers in a cloud of despondency 

Strong supply numbers continue to dominate all discussions around factory prices.

Mart prices reflect fall-off in quality 

Barney O'Connell of Listowel and George Candler of Kilkenny both mention a drop in the quality of stock coming under their hammers in my mini mart reports this week.

Factories: Bank holiday blues as supply surge sends cattle prices south 

Prices at the factory gate appeared to be under further pressure yesterday with some quotes from agents back another 5c/kg on last week.

Factories: Lamb quotes hold at a €5.50/kg base 

It is hard to judge whether last week's farmer meetings with various sheep processors around the country has yielded anything tangible on prices for producers.

Another blow as bullock prices stagger backwards 

After the previous week's general drop in prices, the latest figures contain more bad news.

Martin Coughlan: Protests forcing the factories to play ball 

Quotes for spring lamb remained steady yesterday as factories appeared to consider the supply and market situation.

Kill numbers help factories turn screw on farmers 

Factory prices for stock have gone into reverse. Quotes for bullocks yesterday ranged from €3.90-3.95/kg, with that higher figure touted as being "hard got".

Farmer anger intensifies as factories slash lamb quotes by 50-60c/kg 

IFA met with senior management in Irish Country Meats in Camolin, Co Wexford this week and demanded the factories stabilise and restore lamb prices and stop undermining the market with price cuts.

The €100m question: how did Big Phil arrive at that bailout figure? 

Factory prices appeared to have stabilised after their recent resurgence. Yesterday I could find no agent willing to push beyond €4.00/kg for bullocks and €4.10/kg for heifers.

Marts: Prices improve - but don't gamble the Communion money just yet 

Heifers continued to improve last week building on their steady performance of two weeks ago. Fourteen days ago the majority of heifers on our Ringside table saw small price improvements.

Martin Coughlan: Farmers asking - where has all that cold-store beef gone? 

The squeeze on supplies continues with last week's kill reaching just 29,641. The general run of quotes yesterday morning saw bullocks on €3.90/kg, with heifers at €4.00/kg.

One-in-five lambs 'free' to factories 

"Factories have sheep-men in a headlock." The words of one sheep farmer yesterday on the current relationship between factories and their suppliers. And "headlock" it is in relation to prices, with quotes for everything from ewes to hoggets to lambs less yesterday than a week ago.

Factories: Optimists dealt a blow as lamb prices hold 

The optimism of a month ago when those with lambs to sell were convinced that with Easter in the offing and Ramadan to follow prices for lamb and hogget must surely improve were dealt another blow yesterday morning as quotes remained yet again static.

Tight numbers drive on beef prices for all grades 

The united line on factory prices, such a feature of the factory trade since late last year, has continued to fracture as the search by agents for fit stock has increased competition.

Factories crack the whip on fat lambs 

For those of you waiting for good news on the sheep price front, I'm afraid all I have to offer today is that the majority of prices are no worse than they were last week.

Beef prices start to move - with further rises on the way 

Factory prices are on the rise. Bullocks were reported as selling over the weekend generally for €3.75-3.85/kg, with some sellers unwilling to discuss anything below €3.90/kg.

Strong kill figures start to deliver a beef price boost 

Before getting into factory prices, a word of caution to all who work with cattle. I had another report over the weekend of an incident on a farm where an aged stock bull charged its owner.

Sheep price cuts appear to be contagious 

The Kepak Athleague quote for hoggets fell last week by 15c/kg, while Kildare Chilling dropped their hogget quote by 10c/kg.

Mart prices rise as farmers pay no heed to Brexit fears 

A month ago, this column reported how mart managers noted that some of those ringside appeared to have no fear of where the Irish cattle trade might go post March 29, the then date for the UK to exit the EU.

Factories cut hogget quotes by 10-15c/kg 

After a jump of up to 30c/kg last week for hoggets some factory bosses returned after their weekend break yesterday in a less than positive mood and slashed their quotes by 10-15c/kg.

Beef Prices: Small signs of faith being rewarded 

Easter is the great Christian celebration of hope, the time when we are told that provided we have led good and righteous lives, we can look forward to eternal life in the hereafter.

Mart Trade: Bullock prices continue to creep upwards 

The push by summer grazers to acquire adequate numbers saw more upward pressure on the majority of Ringside bullock categories.

Factories: Hogget quotes jump by up to 30c per kg 

Figures from Bord Bia show that to the end of March throughput at our major sheep plants was back 14.2pc or 94,145 hd on the same period in 2018.

High kill figure means processors hold all the aces 

This week's quotes for bullocks and heifers see no improvement, with their prices continuing on €3.70 and €3.80/kg respectively.

Milk output on target to hit 8bn litres this year 

Milk production is on target to top eight billion litres this year, with deliveries to some processors up 12-13pc in the first quarter compared to 2018.

Farmers will need €4.05/kg to make dairy calf-to-beef scheme profitable 

Farmers involved in dairy calf-to-beef production will have to be paid a minimum of €4.05/kg into the hand to make a margin of €200/hd on calves bought this spring.

Factories: Sheep farmers still waiting for prices lift-off 

Back when I was a boy, the space race between the USA and USSR was gripping stuff.

CCTV cameras needed to tackle grading machine issues: ICSA 

Permanent CCTV camera surveillance and weighing scales on kill lines should be installed in factories, it has been urged.

Factories: Lamb prices still a long way short of 2018 figures 

There was a difference of opinion among the farm organisations about factory prices yesterday morning.

Factories accused of 'naked opportunism' as beef prices take a tumble 

Farmers have reacted furiously as factory quotes for bullocks and heifers, and bulls in some places, slipped another 5c/kg this week .

Stores up €50/hd since January as grass finishers chase supplies 

Brexit uncertainties and stagnant beef prices failed to derail the store cattle trade in the marts over the last week, as strong demand for quality stock continued to underpin the market.

Factories: Lamb prices steady despite lower kill numbers 

The sheep trade on the factory side continues exactly as it did last week.

Martin Coughlan: First shots fired at Irish beef fail to dent prices 

The UK government's attempts to sabotage the Irish cattle trade with threats of chronically high tariffs should be seen, in my opinion, for what they were - a crude attempt to turn Irish beef into a political bargaining chip.

Martin Coughlan: Is hard border fear moving sheep south? 

Later today we may, or we may not, have some clear indication of how Britain intends to proceed with Brexit as MPs gather for another vote on the matter.

Martin Coughlan: Big kill figure keeps prices on the floor 

Factory prices remain unchanged for the majority of farmers and feeders, with heifers on a €3.85/kg base and bullocks on €3.75/kg.

Martin Coughlan: How does bull beef production tally with our 'green' farming image? 

The most rapidly expanding section of beef production continues to be bull beef. But it's also the sector that has been hardest hit by the Brexit impact on beef prices with farmers facing the double-whammy of low payments and difficulty getting cattle killed.

Mart Trade: Rolls Royce animals send logic out of the window 

The story of the cattle trade in recent days is one of increased numbers. Some were reporting close to record entries for this time of year.

Factories back to a unified line on lamb quotes 

Official quotes for lamb were easier at some plants yesterday by 5-10c/kg as factories continued to take their combined feet off the price accelerator.

Beef breakdown: why are fewer steers making the top grades? 

The model for the production of meaningful numbers of better conformation, grass-fed beef bullocks in this country is broken.

Cattle prices hold as farmers and shippers battle for supplies 

Intense competition between farmers and shippers - and continuing strong grass growth - has helped keep a floor under cattle prices over the last week, despite marts reporting massive entries.

Dairy calf prices plummet as shipping backlog hits trade 

Prices for poor quality and younger calves out of the dairy herd have taken a major hit over the last week as difficulties in the shipping sector have intensified.

Spring has turned into a prefect storm for sellers 

Your typical Irish beef farmer must feel a bit like a front-row in a scrum at the moment: head down, driving forward, apparently oblivious to life outside his immediate concerns and surroundings.

Factories offer hope as quotes inch upwards 

A bull and heifer finisher from the south east gave me some revealing information over the weekend about where his prices are at for in-spec stock.

Numbers start to tighten as lambing season keeps buyers on the farm 

The story in the sheep trade is that numbers appear to have tightened at both the factory and mart gate as farmers concentrate on keeping a close eye on the lambing.

Brexit beef chaos hitting prices by up to €150/hd 

Beef farmers are continuing to count their losses as it emerged Irish finishers received €85 a head less than British farmers in recent weeks amid mounting Brexit uncertainty.

Martin Coughlan: 'The push for better young bull prices comes with some risks attached' 

Despite last week's factory kill being 37,116, once you exclude the 1,095 calves slaughtered, prices appeared to be no better or worse this week than they were last week.

Strong grass growth drives store price rally 

Lively competition among grass finishers has pushed on prices for stores by €40 to €100/hd, despite the continuing concerns over low prices in the beef trade.

Factories: Lamb prices steady at €5.20/kg 

The trade for sheep appears to have levelled off, with factory quotes for lambs remaining unchanged from last week. Dawn, ICM and Kepak held their official base quotes steady at €5.20/kg plus various bonuses.

Martin Coughlan: Factories keep cattle men on the back foot 

I'm not going to pretend there is any real good news on the factory price front. Bullocks and heifers remain the same price as they have for weeks: €3.75/kg and €3.85/kg respectively.

Finishers facing six-week wait to get young bulls killed 

Finishers are finding it extremely difficult to get young bulls killed, with some facing a six-week wait, it has emerged.

Factories: Numbers don't add up as lamb prices start to level off 

At first glance, the sheep trade continues to push on well, with Kepak Athleague yesterday raising their quote by 15c/kg to €5.20+ 15c/kg QA.

Martin Coughlan: Factories are beefing up their tactics 

Prices for bullocks and heifers remain fixed in recent days week at €3.75 and €3.85/kg respectively.

Mart numbers slump on back of Brexit fears 

A 10-20pc drop in cattle numbers in the marts has been reported over the last week as poor factory prices and the continuing Brexit debacle in Britain fuels uncertainty in the trade.