Weather affects mart entries

The weather took a heavy toll on the number of cattle on offer at the marts yesterday, but the trade for the stock offered by those sellers who braved the harsh elements remained very firm for all classes.

There was no weakening in demand for the cattle on offer and quality bullocks made gains of up to €15/head for both beef animals and stores.

Although the weather did not deliver the extremity which had been forecast for many areas of the country, farmers who had cancelled their plans to bring out cattle led to a drop of between one-third and a half on numbers offered last week.