Kilcullen Mart in Co. Kildare hosted its weekly general cattle sale on Wednesday, February 19, with over 400 head of cattle on offer.

Speaking to Agriland after the sale, auctioneer John Osbourne said: "Sale numbers are up on last year with more cattle out but noticeably, slightly lighter cattle out.

"People selling are wondering will they be any dearer in April when the grass comes so they're deciding to sell now when the trade is good. Store cattle sellers would hate to loose out if they thought there was going to be a drop."

The auctioneer noted that there was virtually a full clearance of the cattle on offer in the sale.

Sample prices from the sale at Kilcullen Mart:

The auctioneer said that cattle buyers sourcing stock for going back to grass have had to reduce the average weight of the cattle they are buying in some cases.

He explained: "Some farmers buying the 400kg one last year have had to kick back to the 300kg one this year likewise, the 500kg buyer has gone back to 400-420kg. These buyers are probably still trying to buy the same number of cattle as last year but having to reduce the weight they're buying them at.

"The farmers buying cattle at the moment are mainly grass cattle customers, so they didn't get the benefit of the high prices for their cattle.

"A good few of them buyers would sell their cattle in September and October so what they got for their cattle last year, they're giving back now for stores."

Commenting on the trade for heavy cattle, Osbourne said: "You're looking at 720-730kg cattle into €2,700 and above in cases, you're seeing €4/kg being paid in cases for these heavy cattle."

The auctioneer said that these heavy cattle are predominantly being sourced by factory agents, and feedlots with plenty of buying power for the heavy cattle.

Osbourne who has been auctioneering since September 1981, said he has never seen the trade as good in his 44 years of selling cattle and said, while some price stability may be a good thing, he expects the beef trade to go even higher.

He also noted that some farmers are now switching to buying store cows for fattening, who would not normally buy these and said he expects there could be a scarcity of store cattle this spring.

He explained: "A lot of the good weanlings have gone and are continuing to go out of the country. The export buyers are keen for them 270-280kg up to 450-460kg cattle and are very fond of the continental cattle."

He also said there is good demand from customers for Angus, Hereford and Friesian cattle.

"There are now some Angus cattle coming through the ring making more than an average R grade Charolais.

"We're starting heavy cattle at €2,000 now and reaching €200-300 more, whereby we only reached €2,000 in a sale once in an hour last year."

Kilcullen Mart is set to host a special sale of bullocks next Wednesday, February 26. The Mart will host a special sale of heifers and cows on Wednesday, March 5 and a special sale of weanlings on Wednesday, March 12.