There was a full house of both customers and cattle at Carnaross Mart in Co. Meath's weekly weanling sale on Tuesday evening, October 28.

All top-end, continental-bred weanling bulls weighing north of 350kg were surpassing the €2,000/head mark on the night with an insatiable demand for these types from the export customers and bull beef feeders active in the sale.

There was a good selection of a broad range of weanling types from 'U' grade, export types to plainer dairy-cross runners with a good demand and a high clearance rate across the board.

Sample weanling bull prices from the sale:

Speaking to Agriland after the sale, mart manager Padraig McElroy said there were almost 400 bulls and over 360 weanling heifers in the sale, as well as approximately 50 suckler cows.

The mart manager said: "Feeders and exporters were competing at the top end for weanling bulls."

In the heifer sale, he noted the top price per kilo saying: "There was a Belgian Blue heifer weighing 320kg that sold for 2,880 or €9/kg.

"Dairy-beef heifers were making in the region of €4.30-€4.40/kg while the tops of the weanling bulls made up to €7.60-€7.70/kg, with both exporters and feeders paying these higher bull prices, in some cases.

Sample prices from the heifer ring:

"The dairy-cross bulls, there was 180kg ones making up to €1,240," McElroy said.

"A springing heifer in the sale made €5,880 and an older-type cow with a continental calf at foot made as high as €4,220."