Cattle Marts: Demand steady despite falling factory prices

Cattle prices were down in Headford Mart on Saturday last, although demand was still reasonably strong, according to the Mart Manager Joe Wynne.

With a sale of just over 700 cattle, he said there was no shortage of interested buyers, but many who attended the mart had the current low prices being offered by factories on their minds.

Wynne said that store cattle accounted for much of the trade in Headford with average prices for store steers starting at €2.00-2.40/kg, while store heifers were that bit stronger at about €2.20-2.80/kg.

Weanling prices remained strong, with the higher end of stock fetching €3/kg in the ring on the same day as the latest shipment of cattle to Turkey took place.

Balla Mart

The presence of Northern buyers at Balla mart, along with some extra locals, was enough to drive up trade on good quality store cattle on Saturday, according to the Mart Manager Anthony Murphy.

Store cattle in particular were popular in the ring with steer prices up €20-30 a head on the previous week, he said.

There was also a strong trade for the lighter heifers on offer, with these lots averaging €500-800 over or €1.50-2.80/kg.

Along with the store cattle, there was a special sale of quality in-calf cows, which averaged between €1,450-1,700, he said. The best priced lot on the day sold for €1,800.

Thurles Mart

There was a bumper crowd at Thurles mart on Saturday last due to the Bank Holiday weekend, according to Mart Manager Martin Ryan.

Ryan said there was good clearance of both heifers and steers in the ring, which he put down to the bigger crowd in attendance.

The sale was dominated by store cattle, he said, of which the continentals met the best trade.

Ryan also said that he was pleased with the trade for British Friesian cross store cattle, as the traded quite well compared to the beef breeds on offer.

There was also a good trade for the heifers on offer in Thurles, with the best of the Limousin heifers making close to €2.30/kg.

Along with the store cattle, there was also 40 dry cows included in Saturday’s sale. These lots ranged in price from €0.94/kg for the dairy types to €1.63/kg for the heavier beef-bred cows.