Forward cattle met with strong demand in marts over the past couple of days following some improvement in the factory beef price.
Last week, the major beef processors increased the base price of both beef steers and heifers by 5-10c/kg.
This move came on the back of tighter cattle supplies, with throughput sitting below 30,000 for the past four weeks.
Balla Mart’s Anthony Murphy said heavy steers were in great demand on Saturday, with lots selling from €1.60-2.95/kg, while the best lots on offer made €1,400-1,500 over.
Murphy continued to say that beef heifers traded from €1.72-2.93/kg.
Further south in Tullow Mart, there was strong demand for forward store heifers, according to the Mart Manager Eric Driver.
There was also noticeable demand for beef heifers with lots trading from €720-1,000 over, while beef and forward steers made €700-1,020 over, he said.
A similar story was also evident in Kilkenny Mart, Cillin Hill on Thursday. According to the Mart’s Auctioneer George Candler quality beef and forward store heifer met with a strong trade selling from €2.00-2.75/kg.
Cattle Mart trade round up
Balla Mart
There was an exceptional trade for cattle in Balla Mart on Saturday, according to the Mart’s Anthony Murphy, as the good weather helping to maintain prices at last week’s level.
Store steers under 450kg made €600-800 over or €1.49-3.20/kg, while store heifers made €600-870 over or €1.89-3.37/kg.
There was also 188 cows on offer, with dry cows selling from €1.15-2.27/kg and the best cow and calf combination made €2,220.
The cattle trade remained firm for the 465 cattle on offer in Tullow Mart on Friday, the Mart Manager Eric Driver said.
Store steers sold to a very lively trade with prices ranging from €2/kg for the Friesian types, with the majority selling from €600-750 over.
Store heifers made from €2.20 per kg up to €940 over, but the majority sold from €580-700 over. There was also a good trade for cull cows which made €200 over for the Frisian types and the beef types traded up to €850 over.
There was another good yard of cattle on offer in Kilkenny Mart, Cillin Hill on Thursday, according to the Mart’s Auctioneer George Candler.
Candler said there was an excellent trade for the lighter store steers, but heifers saw some reduction from last week’s excellent trade.
Steers weighing over 600kg made €2.00-2.45/kg, the lighter lots (500-600kg) traded any where from €2.00-2.60/kg and the light stores (<400kg) made €1.60-3.25/kg.
Candler said that forward store heifers made €2.00-2.65/kg or €520-780 over, while the light store heifers sold from €1.80-3.05/kg.
Cull cows met a similar trade to last week, Friesian cows traded from €1.10-1.90/kg and the continental cull cows made €1.60-2.36/kg.
Tullow Mart
Kilkenny mart