Live marts back, but slowly
Live marts back, but slowly
By James Garner
LIVE markets have resumed in England and Wales, but not with the flood of animals that many marts were hoping for.
More markets have come on stream this week, with seven on Monday and another 11 on Tuesday, to add to the handful that reopened last week.
But early signs suggest numbers of stock sold through live auctions will take time to recover from a year without sales, caused by foot-and-mouth disease.
Lamb numbers across the seven markets that operated in England and Wales on Monday were about half of the year before and prices were almost 10p/kg lower than the corresponding SQQ, the average lamb price, for the same day last year.
Nevertheless, the SQQ compares well with deadweight quotes, which are hovering about the 225-230p/kg mark. The deadweight equivalent of lambs sold in markets has been about 230p/kg.
Jane Connor, chief sheep economist for the Meat and Livestock Commission, said it was unfair to draw conclusions.
"In a months time we will have a clearer picture and we will have the information to compare."
Prime cattle offerings were down on last years levels, but the average price was up on the year by nearly 6p to 93.8p/kg lw on Monday, comparing well with average deadweight prices for last week.
MLC chief economist, Duncan Sinclair, said it was too early to comment. "I think it is misleading at this stage."
Peter Kingwill, chairman of the Livestock Auctioneers Association, added: "It is a new regime and we are finding our feet and treading gently. Numbers will build progressively. Our aspiration is that numbers will grow to a level higher than before F&M, but it will not be a five minute job."
This will mean getting abattoirs back to buying in markets and there have been some signs this week that their purchasing policy has changed.
"I have heard that some abattoirs will buy direct from collection centres and not through live markets. This shows a fear of the marketing system, because they prefer a system that suits the buyer," said Mr Kingwill.
However, Peter Scott, director general of the British Meat Federation, said the traditional use of livestock markets had been changing for some time.
"Top-end suppliers want animals to a specification and have used loyalty groups to meet demand. There is no auction market bias. Most plants operate a just-in-time policy, so if they dont have the animals, they use a market.
"They are an essential buffer, we need and value them, but the live markets role is changing. There will be a drift back to them, but there wont be the same number of primestock marts as before."
lMarket by market information is now available from the MLC. *
We are pleased to be open
Livestock markets are glad to be back in business and most report that sales under new DEFRAs rules ran smoothly.
"We are pleased to be open," said Alastair Sneddon, a partner in Bakewell Market, owned by auction company Bagshaws. "We have to run by the rules, but lets hope there are more relaxations in time. We have had a taster this week and it has been good."
Peter Kingwill, chairman of the Livestock Auctioneers Association, said: "Clearly some restrictions had to be lifted. We hope amendments can be made on a monthly basis. We want progressive relaxation of the regulations operating for us and livestock farmers."
The LAAs priorities are for the 20-day rule to be lifted and for multiple drop-offs to be allowed to farms by hauliers delivering animals from markets.
The National Beef Association also wants this rule to be reformed. It claims there is no veterinary justification for refusing to allow cattle to mix in lorries when they have already mixed in a market.
"It is clear that purchasers of store cattle feel restrained by the additional cost of buying anything else than a full lorry load of cattle," said NBA vice-chairman Frank Momber.