WARMER weather has flushed out a few extra slaughter cattle over the past week or ten days, with some saleyards and direct consignment traffic on the rise.
While bigger runs of northern and western cattle have started to diminish as final rounds of mustering wind up for the year, there’s been a rise in oats-finished meatworks cattle since the start of October, and more ‘odds and sods’ are being seen in smaller ‘clean-up’ consignments, one Queensland processor said this morning.
Some Queensland grid offers have shed-off 10c/kg this week, as supply realigns with processing capacity. Two contacts said their plants were now comfortably booked out to week commencing 21 October, however storm rain around parts of southern Queensland early this week may yet exert some influence.
Competitive export processors in southern parts of the state are this morning offering 530-540c on cows and 600-610c/kg on four tooth grass heavy ox. Central Queensland plants are mostly 10c behind those rates.
With only ten or eleven working weeks left in the 2024 season, Thursday or Friday December 19-20 are shaping up as the final kills for the 2024 season for many northern processors. We will circle back with a summary of proposed closure dates and 2025 season re-openings in late November.
Offers seen this morning in southern NSW are showing cows now 550c and four-tooth grass ox no HGP 630c. Eastern regions of South Australia were back 10c last week in over-the-hooks quotes, with offers seen this morning of 640c/kg for four-tooth heavy grass ox and 590c/kg on good boner cows.
Slaughter steady at around 140,000
National slaughter for the week ended Friday showed little change, with 140,401 head being processed, up about 600 on the previous week. Weekly slaughter based on NLRS data has remained remarkably steady around the 140,000 head figure since mid-June.
The current week (reported next Tuesday) will show a considerable deficit, with most Queensland processors inactive yesterday due to local King’s Birthday holiday. That could remove about 14,000 head from next week’s national weekly tally.
There’s been no evidience of the US Port Strike that ended late last week impacting local meat or liverstock prices, but exporters indicated that if the strike had gone on for a fortnight or more, beef would have started to block-up, and would have inevitably had an affect on livestock purchasing.
Saleyards numbers on the rise
Most saleyards showed a larger yarding trend early this week.
Gunnedah sale this morning yarded 2900, up 20pc on last week. As the warmer weather continues there was an increased penning where young cattle were well supplied. Cows and grown heifers made up the bulk of the export cattle with few well finished heavy grown steers. A limited supply of heavy grown steers to process sold on a firm to slightly dearer trend. There were varying trends though the cow market with the medium weights selling on a firm to cheaper trend while the well finished heavyweights improved slightly.
Wodonga sale this morning yarded 1290, up 10pc on last week. Quality was very mixed reflecting the seasonal conditions. In the export market competition was solid. Heavy steers gained 8c to average 329c/kg. Bullocks sold to a small group of buyers to average 350c/kg. The reduced offering of cows met a smaller group with few buyers willing to bid past 310c this resulted in a price correction of 14c/kg. Heavy cows traded from 285-319c/kg. It was a weaker market for leaner grades under 520kg, with prices slipping 20c/kg.
Roma store sale this morning yarded 7300, down 20pc on last week. An interim report (full details tomorrow) said with the continuing dry season quality was mixed and in strong store condition with a few pens well finished bullocks and cows. The market was slightly easier, with bullocks over 600kg selling to 336c/kg to processors.
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