Higher numbers starting to hit prices as bullock trade softens

The main features of last week’s mart trade were the continuing high turnout of stock and increased activity among Northern buyers. Those continuing high numbers appear to affecting prices in some places .

Maurice Brosnan in Gortatlea in Kerry reported that some Angus types have eased back to €1.801.90/kg. At the other end of the country in Raphoe, plainer stock were also said to be harder sold.

On the numbers, John O’Mahony of Macroom said that while he too has seen a surge, his overall yearly figures indicate that he is still catching up when compared to last year.

He also noted that putting an easy-calving beef bull on a dairy cow does not guarantee a strong price. “We’ve got Angus bullocks that are averaging stronger than some continentals out of dairy cows,” he told me.

Testing extension

It’s a reminder that lesser conformation means lesser money regardless of what the blue card may say in relation to breed.

Another mart official repeated an interesting point made to me last week about the positive health and animal welfare benefits from the extension of calf testing from 42 days to 120.

Far from being the disaster envisioned by some in the dairy sector, the reality is that those far stronger calves are commanding far higher prices, with far less weaker stock being presented.

“It’s been a huge help to prices in offsetting the cost of testing, plus it’s been a boon as far as the welfare of the animal is concerned for both buyers and sellers,” said the mart official.

In relation to prices, our Ringside returns for last week show that the trade softened for lesser quality with bullocks from 300-399kg easing back by an average of 5c/kg.

Lesser-quality stock from 400599kg slipped 4c/kg, leading to a slight overall reduction across both weight divisions of 1-2c/kg.

Above the 500kg mark this trend of penalising lesser quality was reversed, with prices for those lesser types surging by 11-12c/kg, leading to an overall gain of 7c/ kg in the price of your 500-599kg bullock to €2.04/kg. The 600kg+ bullock rose 3c/kg to average €2.01/kg.

On the heifer side trade could

Far from being the disaster envisioned by some in the dairy industry, these far stronger calves are commanding higher prices

be best described as steady, with average prices across our table moving up or down by no more than 1-2c/kg. The one exception was in the 400-499kg section, where the top-end heifer rose 5c/ kg on average to €2.45/kg, leading to an overall average price increase in this sector of 3c/kg to €2.12/kg.

On the bull weanlings, it was a bad week for those in the 100-299kg section as prices dropped back significantly as demand eased.

Above this, however, average prices were only marginally less at €2.29/kg for those in the 300-399kg division and €2.22/kg for those from 400-600kg.