Castlerea Mart, Co. Roscommon held its weekly bullock sale on Monday (November 2), and its sale of weanlings, heifers and cows on Thursday (November 5).

Despite the ceasing of buyers for the Algerian market, mart manager Brendan Egan said farmers were "out in force" in Castlerea Mart.

The heifer ring, which had seen increased farmer activity compared to recent weeks, was noticeably hot, with an average price of €5.00/kg achieved.

"A lot of farmers are replacing sold stock," Egan noted, with "quality stock holding well".

Below are some sample heifer prices in Castlerea:

A Limousin heifer weighing 425kg sold for €2,060, or €4.85/kg;
A 560kg Charolais heifer sold for €2,640, or €4.71/kg;
A Limousin heifer weighing 480kg sold for €2,460, or €5.13/kg.

Dry cows "remained steady", though Egan admitted the extended good spell of weather has "delayed the turnout" of dry dairy cows.

Weanlings

In the weanling ring, farmers were most active ringside, with a notable price of €6.70/kg paid out for a Charolais bull.

Heifer weanling sales were also dominated by farmer buyers, with heifer weanlings topping out at €5.73/kg.

Sample weanling prices in Castlerea include:

A Charolais bull weighing 285kg sold for €1,910, or €6.70/kg;
A Limousin heifer weighing 290kg sold for €1,540, or €5.31/kg;
A 270kg Angus bull sold for €1,500, or €5.55/kg;
A Limousin heifer weighing 320kg sold for €1,920, or €6.00/kg;
A 340kg Charolais bull sold for €1,900, or €5.59/kg.

Runners on offer ranged from €420 to €1,600 for better quality continental cattle.

Bullock sale

Another large sale of bullocks saw 240 animals go under the hammer on Monday (November 2), averaging €3.81/kg.

The top quality stores breached €5.00/kg, while beef type animals made up to €2,840.

Sample bullock prices from Castlerea include:

A Limousin bull weighing 470kg sold for €2,380, or €5.06/kg;
An Angus bullock weighing 635kg sold for €2,540, or €4.00kg;
A Limousin beef bullock weighing 660kg sold for €2,840, or €4.30/kg.

Speaking on the large sale offering on both days, the mart manager said that "stock has come out strong all at the one time", attributing the increased numbers to the drought.

Castlerea Mart continue with their weekly bullock sale on Mondays, while weanlings, heifers and cows are sold on a Thursday, with all sales starting at 11:00am.