A dispersal sale of a large suckler herd will take place at Tullamore Mart on Monday, July 15, at 5:00pm.
The sale will consist of 50 young suckler cows; 38 of these have E and U-grade Belgian Blue calves at foot, with some of these scanned back in calf. These are in calf to a purebred Belgian Blue stock bull and AI.
A number of heifers with three-week-old calves are also included and the remainder of the calves are a maximum of five months old.
In addition, 12 in-calf heifers and cows – due to calve in August and September – will also be on offer.
Commenting on the sale, the owner of the herd – Co. Westmeath farmer Derek Whelehan – said: “90% of the cows are four and five-star cows producing excellent weanlings for the export market. They have also been participating in the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP).
“All previous Belgian Blue calves were sold to Quinn International for export,” he added.
Other mart news
There’s no doubt that the latest developments with the EU-Mercosur trade deal and extremely low beef prices have left farmers wondering ‘where to next?’
But saying that, where quality cattle have been presented for sale, these animals have met a steady demand.
This, coupled with a smaller number on offer, has kept a floor under prices. However, forward cattle prices have taken a hit the ringside.
Poor-quality dairy-bred bullocks have had a negative impact on overall prices.
However, mart managers have noted that lighter steers and heifers have met a good demand from farmer customers. In addition, the best trade is for weanlings – both bulls and heifers.