Kevin Murphy reported a smaller sale of cattle at Enniscorthy Mart on Tuesday (September 22); however, he noted that cattle continue to sell well.

Speaking to AgriLand about the trade on the day, he said: “There was a good entry of quality forward cattle on offer and the demand was strong for all types. Prices for the forward cattle were up €20-30/head on last week.

“There was a good entry of dairy-cross Angus and whitehead cattle on offer. The bullocks ranged from €1.75/kg for the plainer lots up to a standout price of €2.07/kg for three quality Angus bullocks weighing 450kg that sold for €930/head. The bulk of the bullocks sold for in or around €1.88/kg.

“Heifers sold from €1.75/kg up to €1.90/kg for quality lots, with the majority selling for in or around €1.85/kg.”

Continental store cattle

Kevin said that suckler-bred cattle remain in very strong demand from both farmers and agents looking to buy good-quality stock.

He added: “There was a large entry of forward stores on offer, while lighter continentals were less plentiful. Quality bullocks ranged from €2.01/kg up to €2.58/kg, with the bulk of these types selling for in the region of €2.18/kg.

“Suckler-bred heifers sold from €1.96/kg for the plainer lots up to €2.31/kg for quality lots. Continentals out of the dairy herd continue to sell well and ranged anywhere from €1.87/kg up to €2.14/kg.

“Continental weanling bulls were scarce on the day, but sold from €2.00/kg up to €2.33/kg.”

Friesian bullocks

Friesian bullocks sold from €1.52/kg for the lighter plainer lots right up to €1.84/kg for forward-type lots.

Friesian cows

Store Friesian cows sold from €1.23/kg up to €1.43/kg. Cull cows will become more plentiful over the coming weeks as more farmers scan their herds.