The cattle trade showed a slight improvement this week as cattle clawed back the €20-30 they have previously lost. UK involvement had a major impact on the price of beef heifers in Roscommon with lots selling for €2.99/kg.
Roscommon mart also reported a strong trade on Friday last, driven by strong UK agent demand.
The numbers of cattle were up on the corresponding week last year, said Mart Manager Maura Quigley.
Steers remained in good demand and met with a brisk trade. The hammer fell on lots from €560-1,080 over.
The heifer trade was very good particularly for the better quality lots, however the plainer lots remained a little slower, she added, with lots making €580-1,235 over.
The strong heifer trade was as a result of strong UK demand with one agent freely paying close to €2.90/kg for the 37 animals he bought, said the Mart Manager.
This is despite Irish beef price falling to 415c/kg this week, with the strong Sterling making it increasingly attractive for UK buyers to enter the Irish market.
In general these forward heifers sold for €2.39-2.99/kg while the lighter store heifers made €2.48-3.03/kg.
She also added that the cull cow trade had improved a little with lots selling from €900-1705/head.
Bandon Mart reported a good trade on Monday with cattle prices starting to claw back the €20-30/head they had lost in late July.
All steers met with strong demand in the Cork venue said Tom McCarthy, Mart Manager. Friesian type lots sold from €300-550 over.
The traditional early maturing Angus and Hereford cattle made €400-620 over, five Angus steers sold for €2.17/kg.
The heifers also remained in good demand, he said. The trade for the better quality lots remained strong which made €400-700 over, with the better quality Angus and Hereford lots selling from €2.27-2.64/kg.
“There also seemed to be a lot more buyers around the ring, said Tom McCarthy, who added that there was 90 cull cows on offer in the Cork venue. Lots made €150-700 over.
The mart manager added that there was a good selection of well finished cows on offer but there has been no dramatic increase in cows coming straight out of the parlour just yet.
A selection of six Friesian cows weighing 731kg sold for €1,205, while the hammer fell on a similar lot weighing 722kg at €1,160 or €1.60/kg.
Balla Mart had 900 cattle on offer on Saturday reported the Mart Manager. According to Michael Murphy there was a good trade but plainer type lots were harder sold.
Forward and beef steers at the Mayo venue sold well with the hammer falling on the continental lots from €2.16-2.55/kg.
The better quality heifers also remained in demand, despite the reduced trade for plainer lots. Heifers made from €2.17-2.43/kg.
He also reported that the plainer type cows remained harder shift, but the stronger continental cows met with a fluid trade.
Friesian type cows made €1.13-1.65/kg while the better quality lots sold from €1.77-2.07/kg.
Fermoy Mart also reported a good trade with slightly improved prices for the 700 lots on offer on Tuesday.
Mart Manager Sean Leahy said that the greatest improvement was witnessed with the Friesian steers and lots averaged closer to €2/kg.
Forward cattle also sold well in the North Cork venue with Angus and Hereford lots selling from €2.10-2.20/kg while the better quality continental R grade animals sold from €2.50-2.60/kg.
According to Leahy, cull cows remained in a good trade but the number of Friesian cows coming straight out of the parlour is up on recent weeks. These culls sold from €1.20/kg while the better quality continental types sold up to €2/kg.
Tullow Mart Manager Eric Driver also reported a positive trade on Friday, with good demand from factory buyers. Prices generally remained unchanged from the weeks before for all lots, he said.
However, quality animals in the Carlow venue continue to meet with strong demand, while the plainer types are a little easier.
The top quality beef steers sold from €1,000-1,150 over with one lot making a massive €1,400 over. Factory agents were working hard to secure stock despite the drop in factory price, he added.
The was also little change in the cull cow market with the hammer falling on lots from €2-2.30/kg, while the feeder type cows made €200-250 over.
