Tighter supplies and firm competition continue to support prime and cull cattle prices throughout the UK, with GB prices exceeding historic levels in March.
Livestock centres north and south of the border are witnessing records smashed on a weekly basis, with the sudden jump in prime sheep values to above the £3 per kilo mark also resulting in premium prices in the cull rings.
Cast cows in Scotland averaged 197p per kg across the board last week but Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ Thainstone Centre saw the dearest of the lot on Thursday as all classes of cast cows and bulls levelled at £1,740.41 or 229p per kg.
In total, 42 head smashed the £2,000 barrier, with a top price of £2,680 paid for a 928kg Limousin from Smallburn Farms and a new record of £3,280 paid for a Charolais bull from the Barclays of Harestone.
Tim McDonlad, prime and cull cattle manager at Thainstone said the firm had a number of wholesalers from Northern England sourcing their weekly prime cattle supplies, with numbers having lifted by 66%.
He also added that despite concerns of more numbers of cows going through the ring, it was worth noting that increased numbers were down to deadweight sellers shifting back to the liveweight ring.
It was a similar story in the sheep rings at Thainstone, with all classes of prime hoggs meeting a ”fast and furious pace” and cashing in to average £141.80 or 307p per kg.
The Blackhall family from The Green and Milton of Durris, near Banchory, sol 70 mainly pure Texel ewes to average £222.67, achieving a top price and new centre record of £318.
Meanwhile, across the border at Darlington Auction Mart, Scottish breeders were to the fore amongst the prime bulls, with one selling in excess of 400p per kg.
The Paterson family from Upper Auchenlay, Dunblane, sold a 925kg British Blue bull for 402p per kg or £3,718, while a 919kg Limousin bull from the Adams at Newhouse of Glamis, Forfar, realised 392p per kg or £3,602.
With new season lambs beginning to arrive onto the market in England, Darlington’s sale averaged 357p per kg and £167 per head, with a top of £185 for a 62kg Charollais and 404p per kg for another of the same breed weighing 44kg.
Prime cattle slaughter remained relatively equal throughout the month, reaching 128,100 head in March.
This was up 3,700 head or 3% from the previous year, but down 2,200 head on the five-year average.
Weekly slaughter figures averaged 32,000 head during March, being fairly consistent with February’s averages.
