Farmers are appearing to become more active around the sales ring and it is helping to boost store cattle prices in a number of marts around the country.
Cull cows prices have also shown some improvement in recent days, with a number of venues reporting a better trade for these lots.
Carnew Mart
There was 600 cattle and 100 cows on offer in Carnew Mart on Saturday, according to the Mart Manager David Quinn.
The cattle on offer met a very good selling trade, he said, with more farmer customers and an improved trade for the stores on offer.
Beef and forward steers sold from €550-960 over, while the continental and Friesian store lots on offer traded from €440-810 over and €250-620 over respectively.
There was also a number of weanling bulls and heifers sold on Saturday and prices for these lots ranged from €450-750 over and €350-520 over respectively.
Looking at heifer prices, beef heifers traded from €520-880 over, while the lighter store lots traded from €280-700 over.
There was 680 cattle on offer in Castlerea Mart on Thursday, and according Mart Manager Brendan Egan there was an increase in the number of plainer stock which passed through the ring.
He also said that the weanling trade has remained firm, especially for the quality types, which traded from €2.55-3.39/kg for weanling bulls and €2.37-3.39/kg for heifers.
Egan also reported a good clearance of the heifers, with less forward type heifers on offer.
The Mart Manager also said that the trade for quality cows improved with the best of these lots trading from €1.70-1.86/kg.
Meanwhile cows with calves at foot traded from €1,050-1,820 and springers sold from €850-1,410 each. Moving to Kilkenny Mart, Cillin Hill, the Auctioneer George Candler said there was somewhat of a bigger sale of cattle than the week before.
Culls cows met a firmer trade, he said, with suckler cows selling from €1.30-2.06/kg, while the plainer Friesian type lots made €0.75-1.70c/kg.
Candler also said that forward or fleshed steers were a little easier and these lots traded from €1.85-2.30/kg (lots weighing 600kg+) and the lighter lots (500-600kg) made €1.80-2.35/kg.
Looking at the lighter stores, lots weighing 400-500kg made from €1.55-2.60/kg, while the lots weighing less than 400kg sold from €1.50-2.85/kg.
Moving to heifers, Candler said the number of better quality heifers increased compared to the previous week’s sale.
Beef heifers made €1.80-2.35/kg, forward store heifers traded from €1.80-2.35/kg, while the lighter store heifers on offer sold from €2.00-2.60/kg or €360-500 over.
Castlerea Mart
Kilkenny Mart