The country’s marts are reporting a good cattle trade which is currently being driving by winter finishers trying to secure suitable steers and heifers for winter finishing.

These store steers and heifers are trading from €2.03-3.01/kg and €2.18-3.18/kg respectively.

The demand for forward and beef animals around the ring also remains strong and these lots are selling from €1.57-2.78/kg and €1.75-2.60/kg for steers and heifers respectively.

There are also plenty of buyers for weanlings around the rings and these lots are generally selling from €2.70-3.40/kg.

There was a good sale of cattle in Macroom Mart on Saturday, according to the Mart Manager John O’Mahony.

According to O’Mahony, the trade for steers remained good with the early maturing Angus and Hereford types trading from €205-670 over or €2.03-2.29/kg.

The better quality continental type steers sold for €220-680 over or €2.35-2.59/kg for the better quality Limousin lots.

O’Mahony added that the lighter weanling bulls made €270-715 over or €2.72-3.40/kg for the better quality continental lots.

Heifers in the 500kg region also sold well, with the lots making €210-730 over, added O’Mahony, while the weaning heifers made €245-595 over or €2.83-3.20/kg.

Cull cows continued to meet with a firm trade in the Co. Cork venue, with the hammer falling on these lots from €70-575 over or €1.68-1.79/kg.

cattle trade 28102015

There were 1,100 cattle and 100 calves on offer in Carnew Mart on Saturday, according to the Mart Manager David Quinn.

According to Quinn, there was a very strong trade for all classes with an exceptional trade for quality forward steers and heifers.

Forward and beef steers in the Co. Wicklow venue sold from €750-€1,100 over, reported Quinn.

The lighter store steers also remained in strong demand and these lots traded from €550-850 over, while the plainer Friesian steers sold from €250-700 over.

Like their counterpart steers, the beef heifers met with an exceptional trade and these lots sold from €600-910 over, while the lighter store type lots made €450-850 over.

Cull cows also sold well and the hammer fell on these lots from €400-1,050 over, added Quinn.

There was also 100 calves on offer in the Co. Wicklow venue, he said, with these lots meeting with a very good trade.

According to Quinn there was a good trade for the bull calves on offer, the Friesian types made €120-280, the better quality Angus and Herefords fetched €220-435, while the hammer fell on the continentals at €150-455.

Quinn added that the early maturing Angus and Hereford heifer calves traded from €160-420 each.

There was a very big entry of cattle on offer in Mountbellew Mart on Friday, according to the Mart Manager Marianne Higgins. 

According to Higgins, there was almost a full clearance of cattle, with farmers very active for all lots, but especially for the store heifers and steers.

The strong demand for steers was reflected in the prices paid with lots weighing from 400-500kg selling from €2.19-2.74/kg.

Their counterpart heifers also sold well and these lots traded from €2.10-2.56/kg, said Higgins.

According to Higgins, there was also a very firm trade for the weanlings which were on offer, heifers made from €400-700 over while the bull weanlings made €450-750 over.

Cattle in Balla Mart were €108 dearer than the corresponding sale last year, according to the Mart Manager Michael Murphy.

According to Murphy, there was a big sale of cattle on Saturday last, with 1,086 lots of cattle passing through the ring.

There was a keen trade around the ring for most cattle and the heavy steer trade was well up on previous weeks added Murphy.

Store steers in Balla Mart averaged from €600-1,055 over or €1.82-3.57/kg, said Murphy, while the heavier steers were in great demand and traded from €1.57-2.78/kg.

According to Murphy, there were 350 heifers on offer last Saturday and these lots sold from €600-900 over or €2.00-3.15/kg.

Heavy heifers had also improved on last week, with these lots making €1.75-2.60/kg, added Murphy, while the larger number of cows on offer had little impact on the trade with these lots selling from €1.12-2.13/kg.

There were excellent numbers of top quality cattle on offer at last Friday’s sale in Roscommon Mart, according to the Mart Manager Maura Quigley.

According to Quigley, there was a large attendance of customers anxious for stock, which helped the steer trade. Steers had improved on previous weeks she added and traded from €2.39-3.01/kg.

There was also a firm trade for heifers with a good clearance of lots, added Quigley, with these lots selling from €2.36-3.18/kg.

Dry cows in the Co. Roscommon venue had also improved, with the hammer falling on these lots from €1.66-2.07/kg.