Kilkenny Mart witnessed another smaller sale this week, with bluetongue now confirmed in Northern Ireland and factories still pulling quotes.

Auctioneer George Candler commented on the recent general suckler sale held at Kilkenny Co-op Livestock Mart.

He said it was "a smaller sale of cattle" in the Kilkenny ring, stating there has been a "slight reduction in prices, especially for the plainer types".

Despite the sale being smaller, Candler noted how the heifer ring saw a 99% clearance rate, stating that it was a "solid trade all around".

480 animals went up on offer in the ring, quite a reduction from the 570 in the sale the week prior.

Speaking on the matter, Candler said: "The damper has been introduced by the factories cutting quotes and with exporters not operating at the same volume due to poor weather conditions, and also the outbreak of bluetongue in the North."

Sample prices from suckler sale

The average sale per kilo for 600kg-plus heifers was €4.24/kg; €4.12/kg for 500-600kg heifers; €4.24 for 400-500kg heifers; and €4.31/kg for heifers under 400kg.

Some of the top cow prices from the sale:

805kg Charolais sold for €3,290 or €4.09/kg;
741kg Charolais sold for €3,260 or €4.40/kg;
685kg Belgian Blue for €2,840 or €4.15/kg;
513kg Limousin sold for €2,580 or €5.03/kg;
470kg Charolais sold for €2,410 or €5.13/kg;
372kg Limousin sold for €1,950 or €5.24/kg;
365kg Aberdeen Angus sold for €€1,560 or €4.27/kg.

Beef heifers sold for an average of €3.90/kg, while forward store heifers made on average of €4.05/kg.

Light store heifers were making an average of €4.35/kg, with a 385kg Charolais going for €4.99/kg or €1,920.

Cull cow sale

Meanwhile, Kilkenny Co-op Livestock Mart also held a cull cow sale on Tuesday (December 2) with 100 animals on show.

Continental cull cows sold between a range of €2.40-€3.70/kg, slightly back from the week prior.

Friesian cull cows then sold for a range of €1.30-€3.41/kg.

Kilkenny Mart will hold its final cattle sale of 2025 next Thursday (December 18).

Meanwhile, the mart's final sheep and dairy sale of the year will take place on Monday (December 15) before finishing out the season with its final cull cow, weanling, and calf sales on Tuesday (December 16).