Trade steadied at Kilkenny Mart this week with growing confidence in beef prices helping to underpin buyer demand.

At the weekly sale at Kilkenny Mart, Co. Kilkenny (Thursday November 12) trade appeared to stabilise compared to previous weeks with a clear increased beef price confidence on display.

A bigger trade of cattle saw 830 animals go on sale, with a more positive outlook on the trade amongst buyers according to auctioneer, George Candler.

The auctioneer said that trade in general was sharper, especially for the quality lots of continental cattle on offer that ranged from €4.15/kg to €5.40/kg

Heavy beef cattle saw strong demand, with beef animals above 600kg averaging €3.55/kg, or €2,442/head.

Candler said that this increased demand has come about due to the halt in the slide of factory beef quotes in recent weeks.

Samples of beef prices:

A Hereford bullock weighing 840kg sold for €3,060, or €3.64/kg;
Two Friesian bullocks weighing 660kg on average sold for €2,200 each, or €3.33/kg;
Two Charolais bullocks weighing 580kg sold for €2,580 each, or €4.45/kg;
An Angus bullock weighing 520kg sold for €2,000, or €3.85/kg.

The lighter bullocks weighing under 400kg also saw strong demand, with an average of €3.95/kg paid out in this weight range.

Cows

Kilkenny Mart also hosted its sale of cows and heifers on Tuesday (November 10), which also saw increased buyer activity amidst the firming of beef prices.

There was 105 cull cows for sale on the day, with Friesian cows selling for between €1.75/kg to €2.80/kg, while the continental and Hereford cull cows required up to €4.00/kg for purchase.

Beef cattle on offer sold for €3.60/kg on average, with top marks of €3,100 secured for an Angus cow weighing 870kg.

Sample of beef cattle for sale in Kilkenny Mart:

Two Charolais heifers weighing 705kg sold for €2,420, or €3.43/kg;
Six Hereford heifers weighing 620kg on average sold for €2,160 each, or €3.48/kg;
A Limousin heifer weighing 570kg sold for €2,240, or €3.93/kg.

Store heifers continued to be in demand, with €4.20/kg being paid for forward type Limousin heifers weighing 495kg.

In contrast with other weeks, plainer cattle tended to be a livelier trade and easier sold, said Candler.