Plain cattle a harder sell at marts

Marts: The trade for quality cattle continued to improve at the mart sales yesterday where the plainer lots were more difficult to sell, a trend which has become uniform across the country through the week.

Prices for the quality stock improved by up to €20 a head at some of the sales yesterday, but the plain cattle were a harder sell with fewer buyers and lower prices, widening the price gap between the two ends of the quality range.

While up to €320 over €/kg was being paid for the choice forward continental bullocks, some of the plain Friesian type stores were hard to sell at €/kg. Finishers are competing for the quality animals, but the plain cattle and the Friesian type are suffering the loss of the premia payments which boosted the prices paid for these animals in previous years.

Numbers on offer at the sales yesterday were up on last week. Bandon Mart had the largest sale of cattle for some time with 700 head on offer. The heavy bullocks and quality stores were a very good trade but the plain cattle were difficult to sell.

Heavy bullocks made from €100 over €/kg to €220 over, lighter stores ranging from €140 over to €230 over, while Friesians sold back to €30 over €/kg. There was a slight improvement in the heifer trade with the best of the continentals making up to €230 over and Angus and Hereford ranging from €80 to €130 over.

There was a good selection of quality cattle among the 700 head entry at Kilkenny Mart where the quality bullocks were dearer by €15/head but the plain cattle were a hard sell with at a widening margin back from the quality lots.

The heavy bullocks generally sold at €250-€320 over but some choice heavy bullocks made up to €420 over. Stores 400-500kg ranged from €180 over to €300 over and lighter lots sold back to €120 over. Beef heifers made €120-€270 over and store heifers ranged from €120 over to €220 over €/kg.