Changes to nitrates regulations are having a noticeable impact on the annual cattle trade trends at Kilcullen Mart, Co. Kildare, according to auctioneer John Osborne.
Speaking to Agriland after the mart’s weekly general cattle sale on Wednesday (July 19), the auctioneer said there are more cattle coming out to the sale earlier in the year and he believes nitrates regulation changes are attributing to this.
“Numbers are up but farmers are restricted in the numbers of cattle they can carry,” he said.
The video below shows some of the sample prices from Kilcullen Mart on Wednesday (July 19):
“It’s coming from the nitrates aspect. Dairy farmers that would have never stood in a mart are now having to sell their 350-450kg weanlings. The nitrates has also driven out quite a few sellers now that would normally have held their cattle to October or wintered them.
“They have to reduce numbers and in particular, dairy farmers that would have never sold youngstock through a mart. They were fit to carry these cattle with the sheds they had but they’re not fit to carry them now due to the nitrates,” the auctioneer said.
This week’s sale
There were almost 300 cattle on offer at this week’s sale at Kilcullen Mart. Osborne said numbers are up this year and noted there is “a different mix of cattle than the mart would normally get”.
“Friesian stores around Kilcullen would have been unheard of 10 years ago but it seems going forward they’re going to be everywhere as the dairy herd is coming through.”
Commenting on the trade, the auctioneer said: “There’s great bite for the very forward cattle which is interesting to see at a time when factories are slipping prices back.
“There’s a noticeable interest for the fleshed heavy cattle and the feedlot buyers and factory agents are particularly keen for these.
“There’s a lot more of the mart trade being determined by buyers buying big numbers and this is in all sale yards across Ireland.”
He explained that the good continental cattle from 440-450kg are being bought by the farmer buyers and said the feedlot buyers are looking for the sightlier heavier animal from 500kg and up generally.
“The last month I’ve seen a lot of good 400-420kg cattle making close to what the 500kg cattle are making, there’s very little between them.
“Farmers are prepared to give €1,200-1,400/head for stores to keep for a year but they don’t want to go up that bit more on price to buy the heavier one.”
Sample prices from the sale:
Commenting on the trade for Friesian stores, he said: “The better-type ones making €1.90-2.10/kg are better value than the plain ones at say €1.60-1.70/kg because you have some hope of getting a few O= and R grades out of them.
He reiterated the impact of nitrate rules on the cattle sale numbers saying: “Sale numbers are usually very quiet at this time of year but this year there’s up to 100 head more cattle/week going through this year than two year ago.
“I’d imagine we will get very big numbers of cattle into September and October and if factory prices keep dropping, we will probably get more of the strong cattle.”