Cattle prices in the Netherlands take a step back

After the pig prices, pressure has now also come on the cattle prices in the Netherlands. Ameco has reduced the purchase prices by €0.10 per kilo starting Thursday. In a statement regarding the reduction, Ameco refers to the poor performance of meat sales with declining component prices. The sale of industrial meat is sluggish and as a result, a lot has to be frozen at the moment, the company indicates. The price reduction applies to cows, bulls, and organic cattle. It is not known whether other slaughterhouses in the Netherlands will also lower their prices. A call round through the market reveals that cattle traders are surprised by the price reduction. In mid-October, the cattle prices in the Netherlands also decreased, but the market partially recovered from that. Meanwhile, the supply of premium meat cattle remains tight. Also, since a few weeks ago, there has been less supply from the dairy farming sector. This follows a few weeks ago when more cows were actually brought to market due to the rapid decline in milk prices. This explains the trend in the Dutch slaughter figures. Since the beginning of October, the slaughter figures began to rise, with more than 12,000 slaughters for the first time in weeks 44 and 45 since January, the highest number for this time of year since 2019. In week 46, the slaughter figures dropped back down to 10,849. In Germany, the price of O-quality cattle went up by €0.10 at the beginning of this week to €5.60 per kilo. However, this seems to be an upward correction from significant price reductions in the previous weeks. Cattle prices in Ireland have also recently decreased.