Frosty spell has slight chill on bullock prices

With considerably bigger numbers now coming on stream, and concerns about cold weather slowing grass growth, the bullock trade cooled slightly last week, but heifers recovered most of the ground lost the previous week.

And while overall bullock averages were back 1-2c/kg, with overall averages ranging from €2.16-2.20/kg and the better animal selling for €2.422.60/kg, the bullock trade is still in fine order.

Moving to the heifers, overall averages increased by between 1-7c/kg as recent price falls were reversed.

The 350-399kg heifers averaged €2.28/kg last week, while the 600kg+ heifer averaged €2.25/kg.

There appears be no change in how the weanling trade operates with prices per kilo continuing to average far stronger for the lighter animal than the heavier one.

Farmers and shippers in general have a preference for the lighter animal, while the heavier bull is largely a specialised job.

“We’re seeing the lighter bull performing very well but the 500kg+ bull has far fewer potential homes because in effect he’s limited to feedlot buyers meaning they are a tougher selling proposition,” Stephen Hannon of the Aurivo Mart Group told me. He added that as the industry adapts to online trading, he expects farm-to-farm sales this year to be far lower than in 2020.

On the prices, the weanling heifers average rose last week by between 5-21c/kg. The main moves were in the 300-399kg and 400-550kg sections where prices rose by 18-21c/kg to €2.62 and €2.53/kg respectively, with the 100-299kg heifer better by 5c/kg to €2.63/kg.

Bull prices slipped with the 300399kg animal back by 9c/kg overall to €2.28/kg. And while the better conformation bull did bounce by 22c/kg to €2.78/kg in the 400-600kg division, it wasn’t enough to stop the overall price average in this division easing by 2c/kg to €2.26/kg as bigger numbers of lesser quality animals averaged just €1.80/kg.