Approximately 1,145 cattle and 420 calves went under the hammer at Carnew Mart, Co. Wicklow, on Saturday last (April 7).

David Quinn, the mart manager, said that all classes of cattle met an excellent trade due to strong factory, farmer and export demand. Generally speaking, prices were similar to previous weeks.

Looking at heifer prices, butcher lots sold for €580-1,180 over, while store heifers made €300-785 along with their weight.

Bullocks and bulls

Beef and forward bullocks sold for €650-1,060 over, while continental store lots made €550-930 over and Friesian store steers sold for €180-630 along with their weight. Weanling bulls were reported to trade for €450-880 over.

Calves and cows

Moving to the calf trade, both exporters and farmers competed for lots. This led to a €20/head improvement on prices achieved, according to the mart manager.

In addition, a number of cows also went under the hammer at the Wicklow-based venue. These lots were reported to trade well; butcher lots traded for €450-910 over and store cows sold for €100-285 along with their weight.