A large number of cattle were presented for sale at Castlerea Mart, Co. Roscommon, on Thursday last. Both exporters and farmers drove the trade at the ringside.
The mart manager Brendan Egan outlined that the yard restrictions implemented at the mart for the last three weeks have worked well and that patrons are “getting used to the idea”.
He said: “So far it’s working very well; farmers are respecting the new rules. Safety is paramount and the earlier that farmers can get their cattle to the mart the better.”
Weanlings
In the bull weanling ring, exporters were busy sourcing stock for the Turkish market. A good clearance rate was achieved and the trade was brisk from start to finish.
- Charolais: 290kg – €970 or €3.34/kg;
- Limousin: 300kg – €1,080 or €3.60/kg;
- Charolais: 260kg – €860 or €3.30/kg;
- Simmental: 280kg – €945 or €3.37/kg.
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- This 295kg, June-2017 born, Limousin bull sold for €750 or €2.54/kg
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- This 350kg, August-2017 born, Charolais bull sold for €890 or €2.54/kg
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- This 285kg, May-2017 born, Limousin bull sold for €835 or €2.92/kg
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- This 350kg, October-2017 born, Aberdeen Angus bull made €800 or €2.28/kg
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- This 355kg, October-2017 born, Charolais bull made €1,090 or €3.07/kg
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- This 245kg, June-2017 born, Limousin bull made €825 or €3.36/kg
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- This 350kg, March-2017 born, Charolais bull sold for €830 or €2.37/kg
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- This 440kg, April-2017 born, Limousin bull made €1,140 or €2.59/kg
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- This 275kg, August-2017 born, Charolais bull sold for €960 or €3.49/kg
Heifers
Moving to heifers, the trade was lively and good-quality stores proved popular. A excellent clearance rate was achieved and only a handful of animals went unsold.
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- This 445kg, 4-star, May-2016 born, Limousin heifer sold for €1,165 or €2.61/kg
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- This 455kg, May-2016 born, Belgian Blue heifer sold for €1,135 or €2.49/kg
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- This 460kg, August-2016 born, 4-star, Limousin heifer made €1,160 or €2.53/kg
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- This 445kg, April-2016 born, Belgian Blue heifer sold for €1,070 or €2.40/kg
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- This 535kg, May-2016 born, Limousin heifer made €1,405 or €2.62/kg
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- This 670kg, February-2016 born, Limousin heifer made €1,605 or €2.39/kg
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- This 360kg, April-2016 born, Charolais heifer sold for €910 or €2.52/kg
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- This 630kg, March-2016 born, Limousin heifer sold for €1,665 or €2.64/kg
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- This 605kg, 4-star, April-2016 born, Limousin heifer sold for €1,575 or €2.60/kg
Cows
The dry cow trade was firm; a top-price of €1,855 was achieved by a Charolais cow weighing 830kg. Cows with calves at foot made up to €2,010/head.
- Charolais: 830kg – €1,855 or €2.23/kg;
- Limousin: 850kg – €1,615 or €1.90/kg;
- Aberdeen Angus: 870kg – €1,700 or €1.95/kg;
- Belgian Blue: 720kg – €1,595 or €2.21/kg.
In addition, springers traded for €1,050-1,400/head.
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- This Aberdeen Angus cow and her December-2017 born Charolais heifer calf made €1,350
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- This 4-star Limousin cow and her March-2018 born Charolais bull calf sold for €1,620
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- This Limousin cow and her March-2018 born Charolais bull calf sold for €1,590
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- This Limousin cow and her March-2018 born Limousin bull calf sold for €1,560
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- This 4-star Limousin cow and her September-2017 born Charolais heifer calf made €1,600
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- This Charolais cow and her April-2018 born Charolais bull calf made €1,950
Calves
In the calf ring, dairy cross calves traded for €20-140/head; the better-quality Friesian bull calves realised the higher prices.
Aberdeen Angus and whitehead types sold for €130-300/head, while continental calves made up to €455/head on the day.
