Special fat stock sale in Ballyjamesduff Mart this week

A “special fat stock sale” is set to take place this week in Ballyjamesduff Mart, Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan, organisers have said.

The sale will take place this Wednesday, July 22, beginning at 2:30pm.

According to organisers, the sale will “consist of beef cattle fit for slaughter”, to be run in conjunction with the usual Wednesday sale.

Entries will be taken for: beef heifers; beef bullocks; beef cows; heavy bulls; and forward stores.

With claims of strong demand for such cattle at present, buyers from both north and south of the border are expected to be in attendance.

Elphin sale

Meanwhile, a similar sale is set to be held in Elphin Mart, Co. Roscommon, early next month.

Set to be held on Wednesday, August 5, at 11:00am, the sale will again feature beef cattle fit for slaughter, namely bullocks, heifers and bulls, in conjunction with the usual sale of store heifers and bullocks.

Once again, buyers from both north and south are expected to be in attendance.

This follows a strong trade on show in Manorhamilton Mart, Co. Leitrim, last Monday, July 13.

Mechanical grading

Mechanical grading for carcasses has been suspended on two occasions so far in 2020, but no factory has been fined for non-compliance in carcass presentation, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Dara Calleary has confirmed.

The new minister was responding to two questions on the matter from independent TD for Roscommon-Galway Denis Naughten last week, who asked for the number of instances of non-compliance and the number of times mechanical grading was suspended in 2019 and so far in 2020.

It was highlighted that mechanical grading was suspended six times last year.