Balla Livestock Mart in Co. Mayo reported "a lot better trade" for Charolais bulls following its latest weanling sale.

According to the mart farmer buyers are "expecting numbers and quality in the marts to drop in the coming weeks due to all that’s passed through the previous eight weanling sales".

The mart said the sale featured some super calves and "some happy farmers who got over the €2,000.00 for bulls weighing around 300kg".

Balla Mart highlighted that there had been 288 bulls over 300kg "and there was plenty of buyer for everything".

"There was some 43 well fed bulls 400kg plus but calves 100kg less were making as much," the mart added.

According to Balla Livestock Mart these lighter cattle "suited a lot of buyers who are looking for natural calves that have not been pushed too much".

Mart report

Meanwhile at the latest weanling sale exporter bulls in the region of 350kg "were up by around 10 cent/kg on last the last sale," the mart also detailed.

One interesting observation on the day from Balla Livestock Mart was that "things seemed to get dearer as the sale progressed".

Bulls 200 to 350kg averaged 5.58/kg up 21/kg on the previous sale while bull weanlings 350 to 450kg averaged 5.07/kg up 8 cent/kg on the previous sale also.

Meanwhile heavier bulls 450kg+ averaged 4.26p/kg.Some of the top prices from the sale at Balla Mart for bulls included:

A 295kg Charolais sold for €2,180.00 or 7.39/kg;
A 300kg Limousin sold for €2,060.00 or 6.87/kg;
A 315kg Limousin sold for €2,700.00 or 8.57/kg;
A 340kg Charolais sold for €2,200.00 or 6.47/kg;
A 400kg Charolais sold for €2,340.00 or 5.85/kg.

According to the mart there were "a lot of farmers to buy the heifer calves and prices were well up" on the previous sale.

Heifers less than 200kg averaged 4.79/kg while heifers 200 – 350kg averaged 5.19/kg up by 25 cent/kg on the previous week.

Meanwhile Heifers 350kg to 450kg averaged 5.07/kg up 35 cent/kg on the previous week also.

The mart's next weanling sale will be Tuesday, October 20.

According to Balla Livestock Mart it has found recently that a lot of farmers have been treating their weanlings for pneumonia, blackleg and bluetongue.