There was a large showing of cattle and a super trade at Carnew Mart’s 41st Annual Fatstock Show and Sale on Saturday, January 22.

According to a report on the sale from yard manager Eugene Clune, the sale “broke all records at the mart” and Clune simply said “the beef trade is on fire”.

He added: “Prices on the day surpassed all expectations and resulted in 100% clearance.”

The top price on the day went to an impressive Belgian Blue-cross beef bullock which weighed 990kgs and the final bid of €3,000 was placed by a prominent factory agent in the region.

Speaking to Agriland after the sale, Clune explained: “Between feedlots, factory agents and buyers from Northern Ireland, the trade was unnatural; with Covid-19 restrictions lifted, there wasn’t standing room around the ring.”

A total of 60 cattle at the sale sold for an excess of €2,000 while 10 cattle on the day sold between €2,500 and €3,000.

Cattle turnout was high on the day with 1,280 head of bullocks and bulls on offer at the Saturday sale and 300 cows sold at Carnew Mart on Friday night. The cow trade described as “a super trade throughout”.

“There was cattle went to Donegal, Cork, Tipperary, Louth and over 200 head sold to buyers from Northern Ireland on the day,” the yard manager explained.

He noted that the top-priced bullock on the day was the highest price a bullock has ever made in the history of Carnew Mart which has been in business since 1956.

Continuing, Clune outlined the farmer who sold the top-priced bullock also got €2,680 for his next-best bullock at the sale.

Grass trade commences at Carnew

Also of interest from the sale was that grass-cattle buyers have returned to the rings and were out in force on Saturday.

According to Clune, store cattle were “a steaming hot trade” with the first of the grass-feeders starting to buy bullocks for grazing.

“The quality beast is commanding serious money and from the suckler farmer’s point of view, the most interesting trend from the sale was that bull weanlings seem to be back in fashion and the 250 bulls at the sale were all very easy sold”.

Bulls on the day made a top price of €4.06/kg and €3.30/kg was freely available for the top-quality export-type bulls with €2.50-€3.00/kg available for good quality suckler-bred weanling bulls.

Top bullock prices from Carnew Mart

Bullocks 900-1000kg:

  • BBX, 990kg €3.03/kg €3,000.00;
  • LMX, 920kg €2.91/kg €2,680.00;
  • CHX, 926kg €2.83/kg €2,620.00;
  • LMX, 908kg €2.82/kg €2,560.00;
  • CHX, 934kg €2.81/kg €2,620.00.

Bullocks 800-900kg

  • PTX, 810kg €3.04/kg €2,460.00;
  • LMX, 824kg €2.99/kg €2,460.00;
  • BBX, 820kg €2.88/kg €2,360.00;
  • LMX, 830kg €2.87/kg €2,380.00;
  • BBX, 840kg €2.83/kg €2,380.00.

Bullocks 700-800kg

  • CHX, 744kg €3.09/kg €2,300.00;
  • LMX, 742kg €3.02/kg €2,240.00;
  • BBX, 728kg €2.99/kg €2,180.00;
  • PTX, 790kg €2.99/kg €2,360.00;
  • CHX, 780kg €2.92/kg €2,280.00;

Bullocks 600-700kg

  • LMX, 630kg €3.84/kg €2,420.00;
  • SIX, 644kg €3.12/kg €2,010.00;
  • BBX, 672kg €2.99/kg €2,010.00;
  • CHX, 636kg €2.91/kg €1,850.00;
  • CHX, 676kg €2.90/kg €1,960.00.
  • Lot 102: 830kg bullock made €2,380
  • lot 88: 672kg bullock made €2,010
  • lot 83: 680kg bullock made €1,900
  • Lot 231: 785kg bullock made €2,120

Bullocks 500-600kg

  • LMX, 593kg €2.85/kg €1,690.00;
  • PTX, 548kg €2.83/kg €1,550.00;
  • CHX, 517kg €2.83/kg €1,460.00;
  • LMX, 536kg €2.80/kg €1,500.00;
  • BA, 572kg €2.78/kg €1,590.00.

Bullocks 400-500kg

  • BBX, 402kg €3.21/kg €1,290.00;
  • BBX, 466kg €3.15/kg €1,470.00;
  • BBX, 446kg €3.12/kg €1,390.00;
  • CH, 462kg €2.97/kg €1,370.00;
  • LMX, 404kg €2.85/kg €1,150.00.

Bullocks under 400kg

  • LMX, 386kg €3.21/kg €1,240.00
  • BBX, 376kg €3.09/kg €1,160.00
  • PTX, 366kg €2.87/kg €1,050.00
  • CHX, 390kg €2.85/kg €1,110.00
  • LMX, 306kg €2.75/kg €840.00

Bulls

  • 374kg BBX €1,520 €4.06/kg;
  • 536kg Lm €1,500 €2.79/kg;
  • 466kg BBX €1,460 €3.13/kg;
  • 317kg Lmx €1,000 €3.15/kg.

Prize Winner’s from Carnew Mart Fatstock Show

Class 1 –  Best Continental Factory-Type Bullock:

First: Patsy Fortune, Lot 107 BBX 990kg at €3,000;

Second: Owen O’Neill, lot 122 CHX 818kg at €2,300;

Third: Martin Ryan Lot 121kg  CHX 934kg at €2,620.

Class 2 – Best 2 or More Continental Factory-Type Bullocks:

First: Michael F. Nolan, Lot 243 LMX 653kg at €1,850;

Second: Brain Doyle, Lot 230 LMX 790kg at €2,110;

Third: Michael F. Nolan, Lot 241 LMX 756kg at €2,000.

Class 3 – Best Non-Continental Factory Type Bullock

First: Peter Behan, Lot 343 AAX 716kg at €1,900;

Second: Robert Bradshaw, Lot 307 HEX 711kg at €1,680;

Third: Peter Behan, Lot 344 HEX 868kg at €2,000

Class 4 – Best 2 or More Store Bullocks

First: Brian Doyle, Lot 371 LMX 593kg at €1,690;

Second: Patrick Greene, Lot 396 CHX 525kg at €1,420;

Third: Brian Doyle, Lot 374 LMX 675kg at €1,830.

Class 5 – Best Continental Store Bullock

First: Derry Rothwell, Lot 435 LMX 630kg at €2,420;

Second: Peter Dowling, Lot 433 LM 570kg at €1,560;

Third: Paddy Murphy, Lot 430 PTX 548kg at €1,550.

Class 6 – Best Continental Bull Weanling

First: Shay Hayden, Lot 489 BBX 374kg at €1,520;

Second: Paddy Murphy, Lot 491 LMX 536kg at €1,500;

Third: Paddy Murphy, Lot 490 LMX 442kg at €1,110.

Champion Bullock

Patsy Fortune Lot 107 BBX 990kg at €3,000.

Concluding, Carnew Mart management expressed its thanks to all its sponsors and to the buyers and sellers of stock at Carnew for their continued support.

MART REPORT