Quality cattle continue to meet a good trade in the marts around the country, with the best of the bull weanlings on offer trading for €3/kg.

According to Balla Mart’s Michael Murphy, additional buyers around the ring resulted in a good trade for the 380 cattle on offer on Saturday.

The Mart Manager said there was a small sale of weanlings on Saturday, but there was good demand and one exceptional Charolais bull weanling made €1,180 or €2.31/kg.

He said that store steers weighing less than 450kg made from €600-760 over or from €1.43-2.89/kg, while the heavy steers on offer made €1.53-2.85/kg.

In the heifer ring, there were 60 lots on offer and Murphy said that the prices paid for these lots was up €30/head compared to the week before.

Murphy said that the store heifers remain a good trade and these lots sold from €600-800 over or €1.41-2.91/kg, while the best of the strong heifers.

Murphy also said that 63 cows passed through the ring on Saturday with dry cows trading from €1.04-1.96/kg.

Sample steer prices:
  • Charolais: 290kg – €780 or €2.69/kg
  • Charolais: 395kg – €1,100 or €2.78/kg
  • Charolais: 410kg – €1,170 or €2.85/kg
  • Charolais: 690kg – €1,515 or €2.20/kg
  • Charolais: 835kg – €1,670 or €2.00/kg

Castlerea Mart

There was a better trade for most of the categories of cattle on offer in Castlerea Mart on Thursday, according to the Mart Manager Brendan Egan.

Egan said there was 400 cattle on offer, with demand best for quality store steers and heifers, while the market for cows has stabilised.

The Mart Manager said that weanling bulls met with a better trade than last week, with the top prices paid for some of the top quality lots on offer.

Weanling bulls traded from €2.73-3.09/kg, while the weanling heifers on offer sold from €2.52-3.29/kg.

Sample weanling prices:
  • Charolais bull: 275kg – €850 or €3.09/kg
  • Limousin bull: 355kg – €1,070 or €3.01/kg
  • Charolais bull: 330kg – €900 or €2.73/kg
  • Charolais heifer: 310kg – €1,020 or €3.29/kg
  • Charolais heifer: 250kg – €740 or €2.96/kg
  • Belgian Blue: 320kg – €840 or €2.63/kg

Egan also said that store steers sold from €2.13-2.65/kg, while the store heifers on offer made €2.42-2.95/kg.

Carnew Mart

There was 550 cattle on offer in Carnew Mart on Saturday, according to the Mart Manager David Quinn.

The Mart Manager said that strong demand remained for good quality beef and forward cattle, but plainer and lighter cattle were a little easier compared to the week before.

Quinn said that beef and forward stores sold from €650-960 over, while the continental store lots traded from €550-850 over and the plainer Friesians made €250-600 over.

Looking at the heifers, beef heifers traded from €550-900 over and the store heifers made €350-720 over.

Sample steer prices:
  • Belgian Blue: 470kg – €1,170  or €2.49/kg
  • Limousin: 960kg – €1,890 or €1.97/kg
  • Limousin: 840kg – €1,750 – €2.08/kg
  • Hereford: 910kg – €1,810 or €1.99/kg

Raphoe Mart

There was a good trade for quality cattle in Raphoe Mart on Thursday, according to the Mart Manager Anne Harkin, but plainer lots were more difficult to sell.

The Mart Manager said that quality heifers were sought after on the day and these lots sold from €2.20-2.65/kg or €500-710 over for the beef heifers on offer.

The store steers on offer met with a similar trade to last week and these lots traded from €2.10-2.50/kg or €495-765 over.

There was also a good clearance for the cull cows on offer, which traded from €590-1,380 over, she said.

Sample Raphoe prices:
  • Bulls over 600kg: €550-690 over
  • Store steers: €495-765 over
  • Beef heifers: €500-710 over
  • Store heifers: €350-640 over
  • Dry cows: €590-1,380 over