IN THE KNOW

1GORTATLEA

Maurice Brosnan reporting from his mid-week weanling sale told me that like some football matches it was a game of two halves. If your calves were good enough, and especially if they were Belgian Blue, their price could easily pass into the €3.10-3.30/ kg region, as shippers pushed hard. Anything plainer, especially if they were stronger, saw rougher waters. “The plainer stronger calf that the farmer might be buying was a tougher trade with prices generally from €2.20-2.30/kg,” Maurice said. Trade for cull cows saw buyers give €2/kg for younger continentals, but the plainer cow found it hard to find a new home at good money.

2CARNEW

The was a large entry of weanlings here and Belgian Blue bulls hit a top of €3.30/ kg on the back of very strong exporter demand. Beef and forward store bullocks sold from €650-920/hd over the €1/kg, with continental stores making from €450-740/ hd with their weight. Friesian stores sold from €150-450/hd with the weight. Beef heifers made €540-820/hd with the weight, while store heifers sold for €300-710/hd with the weight. Friesian store cows sold from €100/ hd under their weight to €200/hd over the €1/kg.

3ROSCREA

Michael Harty notes that the plainer lighter bullock is getting harder to sell every week. “We had 550- 560kg Friesians make €950, that’s over €1.70/kg on average. There’s nothing wrong with that but the lighter lad at €1.50/kg that’s a different story. Men don’t want them, they’re too long of a keep.” Continental bullocks, while back by maybe 20c/kg over the last couple of weeks, were still making from €2.15-2.40/kg here last week.

4SIXMILEBRIDGE

This was a smaller sale with prices reflecting quality. Leaving prices aside Sean Ryan’s comment that “buyers are becoming scarce” reflects the reality nationally at present. Sean also commented that men with cattle to sell were doing all in their power to hold out until more buyers become available. “They’re giving cattle nuts, they’re giving them round bales of silage or hay because they know they have to wait for the buyers to reappear,” he said. That means that smaller numbers do throw up some very nice prices, like the three 545kg Limousin bullocks here that sold for €1,260/hd.

5DOWRA

Patsy Smith described trade here as “difficult, except in the case of quality” — an honest assessment which probably mirrored every mart in the country last week. Bull weanlings under 300kgs sold for €1.903.00/kg, with those from 300-400kgs making €2.10-2.60/kg. Heavier bulls sold for €2.00-2.60/kg. Weanling heifers under 400kgs made from €1.70/kg to €2.75/kg. On the bullock front, stores up to 500kgs made €1.90-2.80/kg, with heavier lots making €1.85-2.25/kg. Store heifers from 400500kgs made €1.90-2.60/kg, with heavier lots selling to a top of €2.40/kg. Dry cows saw forward types sell from €1.60-2.00 while the heavier animal sold from 70€170c/kg

6BLESSINGTON

The story here, as elsewhere, was of lighter younger stock harder sold, while the more forward animal stayed similar to previous sales. Store bullocks over 500kgs made €520-800/hd over the €1/kg, while those from 300kgs to 500kgs sold for €260620/hd over the €1/kg. Store heifers over 400kgs made €380-540/hd over the €1/ kg, with those of 300-400kgs selling from €300/hd to €460/hd with the €1/kg. Feeder cows made from €1/kg to €200/hd over their weight, with beef cows selling from €220 to €460/hd over the weight. A small sale of calves saw Friesian bulls on €100-200/hd with continental types making €160-320/hd.

7KANTURK

Demand for calves saw Hereford and Angus bulls hit a top of €455, with the better continental just slightly ahead of these prices. In the big ring five 494kg Angus bullocks sold for €910/hd, while two 521/kg Limousin’s sold for €1,042/hd. The Friesian bullock remains under pressure with a 538kg example here making €795. The market for cull cows remains under pressure with 650kg Friesians selling for €880/hd, while various Charolais made from €800 to €890/hd.