THERE are sharp corrections evident in direct consignment slaughter cattle grid prices this week, as stock access improves after earlier wet weather in some regions and the last of the backlog of rain-delayed process cattle is cleared.

Queensland grids generally slipped 10-20c/kg since this time last week, with supply now starting to build heading into cooler months.

Some cattle pushed back from the March Cyclone and April rain event in Queensland and NSW are only now being processed, meaning new purchase requirements have been lessened heading into Easter.

First frosts in some regions may now be as little as a month away, and some cattle operators are moving early to lighten the load. There’s even been some significant consignments of cull cows delivered out of the Northern Territory to processors in southern and eastern states over the past seven days – somewhat unusual for pre-Easter trading.

Some large Queensland processors are now heavily booked out to mid-May, and even into early June in a couple of locations. Phones started to ring towards the back half of last week.

Active grids seen this morning from competitive processors in the state’s south show offers for good quality heavy cows at 570-580c/kg (back 20c) and heavy grass four-tooth ox 640-650c (back 10-20c). Some plants showing 640c have 650c available for no-HGP cattle.

The 600c/kg available up to late last week was some of the best Queensland cow money seen since December 2022, during the herd rebuild, but some of that, at least, was wet-weather money.

Plants in the Central Queensland are mostly now 10c/kg behind those rates, having been 20c/kg behind earlier due to heavy supply. Some CQ Plants are still 560c/kg on good cows and 630c on  four-tooth ox, with or without a pill.

In eastern parts of South Australia, cows this week are back to 630c and grass ox 700c. One southern NSW operator is on 600c on cows and 690c on four-tooth ox.

Processor margins on cows have declined in the past week or two for a couple of reasons: the sharp lift in the Aussie dollar relative to the US Greenback, and the decline in trade into the US, post Trump tariff imposition on 3 April.

“A three-day week is horrible for processing operations and efficiency,” one large operator told Beef Central this morning. There’s no rhythm – the chain just gets started, and then stops again,” he said.

Supply momentum grows

Barring more widespread rain between now and early May, it’s widely anticipated that there will be solid-to-heavy inflows of slaughter stock out of Queensland and northern Australia heading through the next month or six weeks. That’s inevitably going to impact prices, whilever processing capacity remains constrainted by labour. A national weekly kill of 155,000 still looks like a natural ceiling for NLRS-reported kills heading into mid-Year.

Worth noting, some Queensland processors are already scheduling a working day for Labour Day on Monday week, electing to defer the holiday until later in the year.

Delays on kill reports

There will be delays in the issuance this week of the seven day kill ended Friday, due to yesterday’s public holiday. The result will be added here when it arrives. But readers can expect to see significant impacts on numbers processed for last week, this week and next week due to the succession of public holidays.

With the Labour Day holiday in Queensland on Monday 5 May, it won’t be until week commencing 12 May that industry rteturns to full weekly capacity.

Saleyards activity slows

This week’s exceptionally short working week will inevitably impact saleyards supply and demand.

It was clearly evident in saleyards markets by mid-week last week that prices were on the slide, as the looming slow production period closed in.

There were no sales held yesterday due to the Monday Easter holiday, but most regional sales held this morning are noticeably down in numbers. Some Tuesday sales were cancelled due to lack of numbers.

Roma store sale this morning was less than half last week’s size, at just 2680 head. The market lifted for most descriptions, at the time the interim report was filed. All the regular processors, lotfeeders and backgrounders were present. Yearling steers 400-480kg made to 402c/kg. Grown steers 400-500kg made to 370c/kg. A small number of bullocks made 366c/kg.

Wodonga sale this morning yarded only 640 head, about half last week. Quality was mixed with a few good pens of well-finished yearlings and vealers. The market was solid with domestic processors looking for well finished types under 500kg. Export cattle were limited, with heavy steers topping at 385c/kg. Bullocks sold to a smaller group of buyers with prices from 358-360c/kg. A mixed offering of cows met a smaller field of buyers, with prices strengthening. Heavy cows traded from 300-333c/kg, D3 cows less than 520kg made from 240-272c/kg.

There was no Gunnedah sale this week.