Balla Mart held its biggest sale of the year on Saturday and there was some improvement in the store trade with prices up by €20-40/head on last week, according to the Mart’s Anthony Murphy.

The improvement in the cattle trade comes on the back of some improvement in the weather, as the poor weather had a negative impact on the cattle trade for a number of weeks.

Murphy said there was a lot of light steers on offer and the store steers traded from €600-900 over or €1.71-3.40/kg.

He also said that heavy steers sold from €1.66-3.05/kg, with the best Charolais steer weighing 670kg making €1,670.

Steers:
  • Charolais: 290kg – €985 or €3.40/kg
  • Charolais: 395kg – €1,225 or €3.10/kg
  • Charolais: 495kg – €1,400 or €2.83/kg
  • Limousin: 580kg – €1,560 or €2.69/kg
  • Charolais: 670kg – €1,670 or €2.49/kg

There was also 350 heifers on offer, with some improvement seen in the store heifer trade with lots selling from €600-820 over or €1.75-3.69/kg.

Looking at the heavy heifers, the best price was achieved for a 595kg Charolais heifer that made €1,445. This heifers was bought for further feeding, while similar type heifers generally made €1.38-2.98/kg.

Sample heifer prices:
  • Limousin: 295kg – €900 or €3.05c/kg
  • Limousin: 380kg – €1,075 or €2.83/kg
  • Charolais: 490kg – €1,310 or €2.67/kg
  • Charolais: 540kg – €1,410 or €2.61/kg

Murphy also said there were 150 cows on offer in the Mayo venue on Saturday. The top price was achieved by a four-year-old cow with a bull calf at foot making €2,750 and dry cows traded from €1.10-2.32/kg.

Mountbellew Mart

Meanwhile in Co. Galway, there was a large number of cattle on offer in Mountbellew Mart on Friday, according to the Mart Manager Marianne Higgins.

Higgins said that store cattle were in great demand with store steers making €2.20-2.66/kg, similar type heifers traded from €2.10-2.38/kg.

She also said there was a very brisk trade for the weanlings on offer, with weanling bulls making €450-800 over, while their counterpart heifers sold from €400-750 over.

Sample prices:

Steers

  • Saler: 530kg – €1,200 or €2.26/kg
  • Limousin: 580kg – €1,300 or €2.24/kg
  • Angus: 541kg – €1,190 or €2.20/kg
  • Charolais: 380kg – €1,010 or €2.66/kg

Heifers

  • Charolais: 475kg – €1,080 or €2.37/kg
  • Charolais: 395kg – €940 or €2.38/kg
  • Limousin: 505kg – €1,090 or €2.16/kg
  • Limousin: 605kg – €1,270 or €2.10/kg