Clare Co-Operative Mart held its weekly cattle sale in Ennis Mart on Thursday (August 20). with 700 cattle through the ring and prices up 10c/kg.

It was a good size sale, with numbers rebounding after last week's sale saw less than 500 cattle through the ring.

In a mart report published after the sale, it was noted that there was a good mix of stores and beef in the bullock ring, with the number of beef bullocks stabilising after a sharp fall last week.

These bullocks saw a 10c/kg improvement with some impressive sales including the five Charolais-cross bullocks weighing on average 432kg that made €2,150/head at €4.97/kg.

Some of the top sales from the beef bullock category included a 745kg Limousin-cross bullock that sold for €3,310 at €4.44/kg and a 645kg Charolais-cross bullock sold for €2,850 at €4.41/kg.

More sales from the bullock ring are listed below:

Two 772kg Angus bullocks sold for €2,750/head at €3.55/kg;
Three Charolais-cross bullocks weighing on average 603kg, sold for €2,700/head at €4.47/kg;
545kg Charolais-cross bullock sold for €2,560 at €4.69/kg;
Three Shorthorn-cross bullocks weighing on average 475kg sold for €2,030/head at €4.27/kg.

The heifer trade met a good demand with the stand-out sale the €1,950/head paid for three Limousin-cross heifers weighing on average 368kg, at €5.29/kg.

Better quality heifers broke the €4.00/kg barrier, but the majority averaged from €3.70-€4.00/kg.

Some other notable heifer sales include:

A 485kg Limousin-cross heifer sold for €2,280 at €4.70/kg;
A 605kg Limousin-cross heifer sold for €2,460 at €4.06/kg;
Two 630kg Charolais-cross heifers sold for €2,500/head at €3.96/kg;
A 555kg Angus-cross heifer sold for €2,160 at €3.89/kg;
Three Hereford-cross heifers weighing on average 453kg sold for €1,730/head at €3.81/kg;
Two 392kg Angus-cross heifers sold for €1,460/head at €3.71/kg.

Cull cows were back marginally by 5-10c/kg on average.

Continentals saw prices up to just above €4.00/kg, while Friesians averaged around €3.00/kg.

Below are some sample cull cow sales:

665kg Limousin cross cow made €2,680 at €4.03/kg;
785kg Belgian Blue cross cow made €2,740 at €3.49/kg;
610kg Charolais cross cow made €2,360 at €3.86/kg;
725kg Friesian cross cow made €2,170 at €2.99/kg;
650kg Friesian cross cow made €1,950 at €3.00/kg.

There was also around 20 cull bulls on offer and these averaged €3.15/kg with a top price of €3,980 for a Charolais bull weighing 1,100kg at €3.62/kg.

Kilrush Mart

Kilrush Mart in Co. Clare also held its weekly cattle sale on Wednesday (August 19), as the mart saw a small trade again this week.

A lot of young cattle went through the ring and met a good demand.

Below are some sample prices from the sale:

10 Friesian bullocks weighing on average 355kg sold for €960/head at €2.70/kg;
A 335kg Charolais-cross bullock made €1,770 at €5.28/kg;
Four Friesian bullocks weighing on average 447kg sold for €1,430/head at €3.19/kg;
Four Hereford-cross bullocks weighing on average 380kg sold for €1,350/head at €3.55/kg.

The heifer trade at Kilrush saw prices average from €3.00-€3.70/kg.

Two Angus-cross heifers weighing 360kg each, sold for €1,330/head at €3.69/kg.

Another two Angus heifers weighing 292kg each, sold for €960/head at €3.28/kg.

In the cull cow trade, a 725kg Friesian cow made €2,170 at €2.99/kg.

Another 645kg Friesian cow made €1,690 at €2.62/kg, while a 595kg Charolais cow made €1,780 at €2.99/kg.