The mart trade for cattle continues to suffer from the unseasonal weather, with prices for plain animals suffering the most.
On the flip side, quality stock remains a solid trade, with some farming customers and exporters active at ringside. Heavy, well-fleshed cows and quality suckler cows continue to make strong prices.
Weanling bulls suitable for export are selling for €2.30-2.60/kg, with top quality lots making €2.70-3.00/kg.
Prices for heifer weanlings ranged from €2.00-2.30/kg in the main, with top prices of €2.50-2.80/kg.
At Dowra Mart, forward store heifers of more than 500kg made from €2.00-2.40/kg, while lighter lots sold from €2.00-2.50/kg.
Weanling heifers made from €2.10-2.60/kg.
The best of the weanling bulls traded for €2.20-2.60/kg, while plainer lots moved at €1.60-2.00/kg.
Young cull cows made from €1.70-2.10/kg and older cows sold for €1.30-1.70/kg.
A lack of customers for the 720hd on offer at Kilkenny Mart led to a tougher trade for plain animals, particularly Friesian bullocks and store heifers.
Heavy steers sold for €2.05-2.50/kg, while 400-600kg bullocks made €2.00-2.70/kg and lighter lots sold for €1.75-2.90/kg.
Store heifers sold for €2.05-2.35/kg and continental cull cows for €1.30-1.90/kg, while Friesian culls sold for €1.05-1.70/kg.
Suckler cows with a calf at foot ranged from €1,200-1,600/unit. In-calf cow and heifer prices ran from €1,050-1,925/hd.
Small plain cattle met an easier trade at Carnew Mart but prices for all other classes were fully maintained with strong demand from exporters for quality weanlings.
Beef and forward bullocks sold for €550-850 over their weight, while stores sold for €320-805 over.
Weanling bulls made from €450-950 over the €/kg.
Beef heifers traded for €520-850 over the weight while stores sold for €330-800 over.
Prices for in-calf cows ran from €1,000-1,400.
Heavy steers at Balla Mart sold for €1.25-2.46/kg, while stores sold for €1.79-2.32/kg.
Well-fleshed heifers made from €1.62-2.81/kg.
Forward stores traded for €1.57-3.04/kg. Sucklers hit a high when a seven-year-old Simmental cross cow and a Charolais bull calf made €1,500. Cull cow prices topped out at €1,890 for a 745kg Belgian Blue cross.
Light weanling bulls generally sold from €1.38-2.38/kg, with the heavier lots making €1.50-2.38/kg.
Heavy and forward store cattle held their own at Ballinakill Mart but the smaller and plainer cattle were difficult to sell.
Heavy bullocks sold for €2.00-2.45/kg. Forward stores traded for €2.10-2.75/kg and lighter stores went for €1.85-2.80/kg.
Weanling bulls made €1.95-2.55/kg. In the heifer section, finished lots sold for €2.00-2.58/kg while stores ranged from €1.85-2.40/kg.
Weanlings sold for €1.75-2.35/kg. Cull cows sold for €1.45-1.85/kg.
Bullocks sold for €250-500 over their weight at Ballymote Mart this week. Heifers under 400kg sold for €300-460 over.
Lots weighing 400-500kg sold for €350-915 over the €/kg and heavier lots made up to €820 over.
Weanling heifers traded for €300-500 with the weight.
Good heavy cull cows made up to €730 over the €/kg, while backward types sold back to €250 with their weight.
Good heavy bulls over 600kg sold for €615-920/hd over the €/kg at Raphoe Mart.
Beef bullocks sold for €660-970 over and stores sold for €315-805 with their weight.
Beef heifers sold for €455-845 over the weight while stores sold for €250-680 over.
Heavy cull cows sold for up to €1,640 and cows for feeding made from €730/hd up.
At Mayo-Sligo Mart, bullocks made up to €820 with their weight while weanling bulls sold to €550 over the €/kg.
Quality heifers weighing more than 500kg sold from €500-475 over the weight.
Cows with a calf at foot were selling from €1,355- 1,670. Cull cows made from €1,045-1,480.
- Joe Healy
Source: irishindependent.
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