Market Prices

Market reports suggest that demand for dairy cattle is good, as buyers are looking for milking animals.

• On the 10/06/09, the Frome auction reported sales of calved heifers reaching £2,000, with sales of calved cows peaked at £1,610.

• At the Carmarthen auction on the 10/06/09, dairy cow prices averaged £1,128/head, with one dairy cow selling for £2,120. At the same auction, dairy heifer prices reached £2,100, with an average for the market of £1,587.

• The Gisburn auction on the 10/06/09 reported newly calved heifer prices average £1,772/head, with the top animal selling for £2,220. Newly calved cow prices averaged £1,250/head, with a top price of £1,620.

• N/c cow prices averaged £1,492/head, with one animal selling for £2,020, at the Bentham auction on the 10/06/09. N/c heifer prices averaged £1,630/head with the best animal selling for £2,200.

Average Market Prices

These price averages are collated by AHDB Meat Services from a number of markets around the country, with the number of auctions used for the data varying from week to week. As with any average, unusually high or unusually low figures will skew the results especially when the sample size is small.

Latest market average figures from Defra show that in the week ending 10/06/09:

• There were 159 F/H heifers traded at an average of £1,515/head, £73/head (4.6%) less than the average price in the previous week.

• There was a £14/head (1.2%) increase in the average price of F/H cows over the period, to an average of £1,219/head for the 221 animals traded.

Commercial Auction Market / Dispersal Averages

Dairy Cattle

Please note that these figures are changed retrospectively as reports from dispersal sales come in.

Source: Defra

Calf Prices

For the week ending 10/06/09:

• 26 Hereford Cross bull calves averaged £169/head, £9/head (5.23%) lower than the average price in the previous week.

• There were 25 Hereford Cross heifer calves traded, eight fewer than in the previous week. Although the average price increased by £26/head (22.2%) to £143/head.

• Continental Cross heifer calves averaged £210/head, £4/head (1.9%) less than the average price in the previous week.

Source: Defra
Note: The number of pedigree sales varies each month and this affects the average price.