Slaughter figures have recovered after the shortened Easter and Anzac weeks, but not enough to dampen demand as prices for young, store and heavy cattle lifted.
East coast slaughter increased to 109,500 head last week, a 10 per cent increase from the previous release. Improved throughput and slaughter was unable to weigh too heavily on prices with the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) lifting slightly to close nearly 9¢ higher at 659¢/kg cwt. East coast heavy steers showed a similar lift – up 7¢ to 308¢/kg lwt, or 571¢/kg cwt (at a dressing percentage of 54 per cent). Trade steers managed a marginal increase.
Light rainfall forecast for parts of Queensland and Victoria over the next week shouldn’t be enough to hamper transport, so supply of cattle should continue to improve post-Easter.
