Tullow mart’s weekly cattle sale was held on Friday last (February 23). The monthly weanling sale was also held in conjunction with the main sale. A large crowd gathered around the ring and the sale kicked off at 11:00am.

The mart’s Eric Driver noted that there was no great change in the prices achieved. He was happy to report that beef cattle continued to meet a demanding trade.

He also outlined that there was a lot of farmer customers for store cattle, while both exporters and farmers competed for bull weanlings.

Calves

Some 100 calves went under the hammer and a 100% clearance rate was achieved on the day. The trade was steady and, generally speaking, Friesian calves suited for export traded at €50-110/head.

Good-quality Friesian calves, aged three-to-four weeks, made €120-200/head. Hereford and Angus heifer calves also traded for €120-200/head, while bull lots sold up to €350/head.

A top price of €450 was achieved by a Limousin bull calf. Continental heifers and bulls sold in the region of €300-420/head. In addition, a number of Jersey cross calves were presented for sale and these lots sold from €10/head and up.

Click on a thumbnail in the gallery (below) to open up a full-size image; once opened you can scroll sideways to see the next picture. Refer to each caption to see details of each lot, including the hammer (sale) price.

Heifers

In the heifer ring, the trade was brisk for the quality lots on offer. Beef lots sold for €2.00-2.30/kg and well-fleshed animals met an exceptional trade; Hereford and Angus heifers traded €1.95-2.60/kg.

Lighter store heifers also met strong demand; Limousin and Charolais lots traded for €3/kg in some cases.

Bullocks

Beef bullocks sold for €650 over and good-quality Friesian lots sold at €800-1,020/head. Similar to the store heifers on offer, store bullocks met a lively trade.

Generally speaking, these lots made €500 over. Friesian and Angus stores sold for €1.80/kg and up, while continental lots traded at €2.10-2.35/kg.

Lighter store bullocks also proved to be in demand. Hereford and Angus lots traded in the region of €2.00/kg, while Friesian lots made €1.80/kg. The majority of continental store lots sold for €2.40-2.80/kg, while better-quality types made €3/kg.

In addition, a number of cull cows were also presented for sale. Friesian types sold for €200-300 over, while older Friesian lots traded for €100 along with their weight. Continental lots traded for €300-950 over.

In the weanling ring, bulls sold for €2.40-2.90/kg. Some E and U-grade lots traded for prices north of €3/kg. Furthermore, heifer weanlings traded for €2.30-2.80/kg.