Carnew Mart in Co. Wicklow held its weekly cattle sale on Saturday (August 15), where 840 animals went through the ring in a "much bigger" sale than last week.

There was a significant number of Friesian cows on sale in the day.

Speaking to Agriland after the sale, Carnew Mart's Eugene Clune confirmed that the trade had held or improved marginally, with bullocks seeing the biggest rise in price.

Heavy Friesian cows sold for between €1,680-€2,250/head and for €2.60-€3.00/kg.

Friesian store cows sold for between €1,300-€1,600/head, made from €2.30/kg up to €2.60/kg for the better quality stores described as "having a cover of flesh".

Lighter thinner cows sold for between €850-€1,300/head and from €1.60-€2.20/kg.

Cull cows have seen average factory quotes drop to €6.50/kg. This is a 20c decrease from the average of €6.70 during the most recent peak in the middle of July.

In Carnew Mart on Saturday, the heifer trade saw continental store heifers go from €1,800-€2,420/head while Hereford and Angus store heifers saw prices from €1,320-€1,800/head.

The latest factory quotes have seen heifer prices drop to €6.87/kg while steers have dropped back to €6.80/kg.

The beef heifer trade in Carnew saw prices average between €2,500-€2,700/head .

The top heifer sale of the day went to a 720kg Charolais beef heifer that sold for €3,080 at €4.28/kg.

Heavy bullocks saw a good trade with prices from €2,600-€3,200/head with the better bullocks fetching close to €5.00/kg.

Commenting on the trade, Clune put this down to increasingly strong demand from factory agents and also added that there was strong wholesale demand.

This increased activity from factory agents has also been seen in Tullow Mart in Co. Carlow, where prices rose significantly following the increased demand ringside.

In Carnew, store bullocks saw a good trade with bulls averaging around 460kg selling for €2,360/head at €5.13/kg.

Clune added that there was a great quality yard of store bullocks with the condition being particularly good.

Co. Wicklow is among the areas most affected by drought and grass shortages, so the ability of cattle to maintain condition and the trade's resilience will be positive news for farmers.