Clare Co-operative Marts held its fortnightly cattle sale at Kilrush Mart on July 22, where 170 cattle went through the ring, with a number of dairy cows sold to reduce feed demand.

The sale saw cows "out of the parlour" on offer, as farmers were seeing growth rates reduced due to moisture deficits, according to a mart report published after the sale.

These cows were typically low production cows, or suffered from lameness or mastitis, or were not in calf for 2027.

Some of the top prices achieved for cows included:

A 675kg Friesian cull cow sold for €1,980 at €2.93/kg;
A 710kg Friesian-cross cull cow sold for €2,060 at €2.90/kg;
A 685kg Friesian-cross cull cow sold for €1,900 at €2.77/kg.

Continental cull cows achieved higher prices, with a 750kg Charolais-cross cull cow selling for €2,550 at €3.40/kg, while another 665kg Charolais cull cow sold for €2,180 at €3.27/kg.

The heifer and bullock rings saw a mix of strong and light cattle with "flesh" again sought after.

The heifer ring saw some good prices being achieved, with the highest price of €2,730 paid for a 565kg Limousin-cross heifer at €4.83/kg.

Some sample prices for heifers from the day included:

A 560kg Angus-cross heifer sold for €2,230 at €3.98/kg;
A 540kg Hereford-cross heifer sold for €2,120 at €3.92/kg;
Two 287kg Angus-cross heifers sold for €1,090/head at €3.79/kg;
Two 342kg Hereford-cross heifers sold for €1,270/head at €3.70/kg.

The highlight sale in the bullock ring was three Charolais-cross bullocks weighing on average 523kg each that sold for €2,140/head at €4.08/kg.

Other notable bullock sales from the day included:

A pen of seven Friesian bullocks weighing an average of 430kg each, sold for €1,440/head at €3.34/kg;
Two Hereford-cross bullocks weighing an average of 457kg each, sold for €1,820/head at €3.97/kg;
Three Friesian bullocks weighing an average of 601kg each, sold for €2,110/head at €3.51/kg.

There were also 15 cull bulls on sale, which sold for an average price of €3.17/kg.

The top price of €3,700 was achieved for a Hereford bull weighing 1,115kg at €3.32/kg.

Ennis sheep sale

Clare Co-Operative Marts also held its weekly sheep sale at Ennis Mart, on Monday, July 27, where 662 sheep were on offer.

Although cull ewe prices were down, with averages falling to €2.58/kg, there were some notable sales.

Two cast ewes weighing 110kg each, sold for €318/head at €2.89/kg, while a pen of 17 cast ewes weighing an average of 82kg each, sold for €248/head at €3.04/kg.

In the breeding section, the top price of €400 was paid for a ewe with two lambs.

Across the board, the lamb trade held steady, in line with last week's sale.

Listed below are some prices paid for spring lambs:

A pen of 10 spring lambs weighing an average of 49kg each sold for €210/head at €4.28/kg;
A pen of six spring lambs weighing an average of 52kg each sold for €200/head at €3.84/kg;
A pen of 10 spring lambs weighing an average of 51.5kg each sold for €194/head at €3.76/kg;
A pen of 16 spring lambs weighing an average of 49kg each sold for €192/head at €3.92/kg;
A pen of 14 spring lambs weighing an average of 47.5kg each sold for €184/head at€3.87/kg;
A pen of 14 spring lambs weighing an average of 46kg each sold for €182/head at €3.95/kg.

Here are some sample prices for spring store lambs at Ennis Mart:

A pen of 12 store lambs weighing an average of 38.5kg each sold for €150/head at €3.89/kg;
A pen of 10 store lambs weighing an average of 38kg each sold for €140/head at €3.68/kg.

In addition, one pen of nine store lambs weighing 35.5kg on average sold for €140/head at €3.94/kg, while a second pen of nine store lambs weighing 39kg on average sold for €150/head at €3.84/kg.