MEAT factories and cattle exporters are finding it difficult to acquire suitable animals for processing despite the BSE crisis.
Prices for bullocks are rising at marts and at some factories as competition for the available stock has intensified and pushed up factory prices from the baseline of 82p per lb set by intervention.
At marts yesterday the price being paid for bullocks increased by between £10 and £20 per animal and for the first time since April, heifer prices began to rise with increases of between £10 and £15 per head being paid.
The scarcity of suitable animals is being caused by an increased demand for beef in Britain, the early offloading of animals into intervention and because farmers are waiting until January to avail of a special winter slaughter premium worth over £60 per animal.
Last week the Irish beef factories applied for contracts to put only 2,305 tonnes of beef into EU intervention for the next fortnight, a total of 6,900 bullocks.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, said the low level of the offer was due to the strengthening of the beef export market and, in particular, to the substantial level of commercial trade being undertaken by Irish exporters.
He pointed out that this buoyancy was reflected in the fact that, in recent weeks, Irish live cattle and beef exporters have taken out licences for export to third countries for 26,100 head of live cattle and 40,862 tonnes of beef, representing some 180,000 bullocks.
A leading cattle exporter said yesterday that the greatest difficulty facing his company was finding animals of the correct quality and at the right price for the Middle East contracts.
He said live exporters are still only working at half capacity.
The latest figures show that beef sales in Britain are recovering and sales to October 20th last showed a 12 per cent increase on the corresponding September period. The Irish Food Board's magazine, Market Monitor, reported there is clear evidence of recovery in the market.
. The control and inspection procedures relating to antibiotic residues in meat which are operated by the Department of Agriculture will be monitored by the new Food Safety Board, Mr Yates said yesterday.
He said in plant sampling would be in addition to that carried out by the Department and all results would be made public.