Tullow mart’s weekly cattle sale was held on Friday last (February 23). The monthly weanling sale was also held in conjunction with the main sale. A large crowd gathered around the ring and the sale kicked off at 11:00am.
The mart’s Eric Driver noted that there was no great change in the prices achieved. He was happy to report that beef cattle continued to meet a demanding trade.
He also outlined that there was a lot of farmer customers for store cattle, while both exporters and farmers competed for bull weanlings.
Calves
Some 100 calves went under the hammer and a 100% clearance rate was achieved on the day. The trade was steady and, generally speaking, Friesian calves suited for export traded at €50-110/head.
Good-quality Friesian calves, aged three-to-four weeks, made €120-200/head. Hereford and Angus heifer calves also traded for €120-200/head, while bull lots sold up to €350/head.
A top price of €450 was achieved by a Limousin bull calf. Continental heifers and bulls sold in the region of €300-420/head. In addition, a number of Jersey cross calves were presented for sale and these lots sold from €10/head and up.
Click on a thumbnail in the gallery (below) to open up a full-size image; once opened you can scroll sideways to see the next picture. Refer to each caption to see details of each lot, including the hammer (sale) price.
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- This Friesian bull calf sold for €50
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- This Angus heifer made €265
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- This Hereford heifer calf sold for €360
Heifers
In the heifer ring, the trade was brisk for the quality lots on offer. Beef lots sold for €2.00-2.30/kg and well-fleshed animals met an exceptional trade; Hereford and Angus heifers traded €1.95-2.60/kg.
Lighter store heifers also met strong demand; Limousin and Charolais lots traded for €3/kg in some cases.
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- This 865kg, February-2015 born, Charolais heifer made €1,750 or €2.02/kg
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- This 835kg, April-2014 born, Charolais heifer sold for €1,720 or €2.05/kg
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- This 285kg, February-2017 born, Angus heifer sold for €560 or €1.96/kg
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- These 340kg, March-2017 born, Limousin heifers sold for €80/head or €2.35/kg
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- These 375kg, March-2017 born, Limousin heifers made €745/head or €1.98/kg
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- This 430kg, February-2017 born, Limousin heifer made €1,045 or €2.43/kg
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- This 570kg, April-2016 born, Charolais heifer made €1,200 or €2.10/kg
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- This 560kg, April-2016 born, Charolais heifer sold for €1,280 or €2.28/kg
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- This 550kg, April-2016 born, Charolais heifer made €1,300 or €2.36/kg
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- This 610kg, March-2016 born, Charolais heifer made €1,370 or €2.24/kg
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- This 575kg, April-2016 born, Limousin heifer sold for €1,385 or €2.40/kg
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- This 770kg, August-2014 born, Parthenaise heifer sold for €1,560 or €2.02/kg
Bullocks
Beef bullocks sold for €650 over and good-quality Friesian lots sold at €800-1,020/head. Similar to the store heifers on offer, store bullocks met a lively trade.
Generally speaking, these lots made €500 over. Friesian and Angus stores sold for €1.80/kg and up, while continental lots traded at €2.10-2.35/kg.
Lighter store bullocks also proved to be in demand. Hereford and Angus lots traded in the region of €2.00/kg, while Friesian lots made €1.80/kg. The majority of continental store lots sold for €2.40-2.80/kg, while better-quality types made €3/kg.
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- This 630kg, January-2016 born, Charolais bullock made €1,290 or €2.04/kg
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- This 715kg, February-2015 born, Friesian bullock sold for €1,150 or €1.60/kg
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- This 565kg, January-2016 born, Friesian steer made €980 or €1.73/kg
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- This 485kg, April-2016 born, Limousin bullock sold for €1,250 or €2.57/kg
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- This 740kg, January-2016 born, Belgian Blue steer made €1,420 or €2.21/kg
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- This 410kg, February-2017 born, Limousin steer made €1,130 or €2.75/kg
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- These 576kg, April, May and June-2016 born, Charolais steers made €1,355 or €2.35/kg
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- This 665kg, March-2016 born, Charolais steer sold for €1,405 or €2.11/kg
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- These 615kg, March, June and July-2016 born, Charolais bullocks made €1,390 or €2.26/kg
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- This 680kg, March-2016 born, Charolais bullock made €1,500 or €2.20/kg
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- This 540kg, July-2016 born, Charolais steer sold for €1,240 or €2.29/kg
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- This 790kg, May-2015 born, Charolais bullock made €1,740 or €2.20/kg
In addition, a number of cull cows were also presented for sale. Friesian types sold for €200-300 over, while older Friesian lots traded for €100 along with their weight. Continental lots traded for €300-950 over.
In the weanling ring, bulls sold for €2.40-2.90/kg. Some E and U-grade lots traded for prices north of €3/kg. Furthermore, heifer weanlings traded for €2.30-2.80/kg.