The mart trade for cattle over the weekend seen prices for some categories of stock easing a little but prices still remain at record highs for the time of year.

There were almost 800 head of cattle on offer at Carnew Mart, Co. Wicklow, on Saturday, September 6.

Lighter store cattle were described as "possibly a little easier trade than previous weeks, while the forward and heavy cattle continue to meet a super trade," according to Carnew Mart's Eugene Clune.

In the heifer sale at the mart, up to €5.52/kg was paid for heifers with a 348kg Limousin heifer making €1,920.

A 544kg Limousin-cross heifer made €2,720 or €5/kg, and a lighter 348kg Belgian Blue heifer made €1,720 or €4.94/kg.

A 404kg Angus heifer sold for €1,920 or €4.75/kg and another 445kg Angus-cross heifer made €1,910 or €4.29/kg.

He said: "The sale was driven by wholesalers and factory agents anxious to buy any beef or forward cattle available.

Some of the top bullock prices from the sale at Carnew Mart:

382kg Limousin bullock sold for €2,110 or €5.53/kg;
444kg Limousin bullock sold for €2,360 €5.32/kg;
316kg Angus bullock sold for €1,700 or €5.37/kg;
344kg Belgian Blue bullock sold for €1,820 or €5.29/kg;
358kg Hereford bullock sold for €1,640 or €4.58/kg.

"There was a small entry of bull weanlings on the day meeting an outstanding trade with the majority selling in excess of €6.00/kg," Clune said.

As high as €6.56/kg was paid for weanling bulls with a 326kg Charolais bull making €2,140.

Another two Charolais bulls weighing 382kg and 362kg made €2,410 and €2,280 respectively.

A special suckler sale at the mart seen cows making from €3,000-€4,000.

Dry cows made up to €3.87/kg for a 656kg Limousin cow that made €2,540. Another 746kg Simmental-cross cow made €2,840 or €3.81kg, and a 622kg Friesian cow made €1,960 or €3.15/kg.

Balla Mart in Co. Mayo hosted its weekly cattle sale on Saturday, September 6, with "a big sale, some smashing continental cattle on show and a great clearance," according to the mart manager Michael Nolan.

Bullocks weighing from 300-400kg averaged €5.24/kg, store bullocks weighing from 400-500kg averaged €5.19/kg while heavier bullocks weighing over 500kg averaged €4.64/kg.

A 385kg Charolais bullock was sold for €2,580 or €6.70/kg and a heavier 690kg bullock made €3,360 or €4.87/kg. Another heavy bullock sold for €3,620.

The best of the heavy bullocks in the sale "were all bought by northern factory buyers," according to the mart manager.

The heifers were described as "slightly up on last week" with two "smashing Belgian Blue cross heifers" shown by one Mayo farmer selling for €3,920 or €7.06/kg while the second made €3,800, both bought online by a Donegal buyer for breeding.

Lighter store heifers weighing 300-400kg averaged €4.84/kg. Heifers weighing from 400-500kg averaged €5.05/kg and heifers over 500kg averaged €4.64/kg.

Dry cows weighing over 500kg averaged €3.87/kg and were a similar trade to last week.

A five-year-old Charolais dry cow weighing 910kg made €3,760.

Stock bulls "got great buying by a factory buyer from Northern Ireland" with a six-year-old Angus bull bought online for €4,740.

In the springer sale, a May-2019 Limousin cow with its time up was bought for €4,020.