Traders in upbeat humour as price stability lifts spirits

The trade at the marts over the last week has seen prices improve markedly for heavier stock as the factory price has stabilised and, in some cases, improved.

This stability has injected more optimism into the store side with several mart mangers commenting that the better quality animal was also improved, while they suspected the plainer bullock may have “bottomed out”.

Tom McCarthy of Bandon began his report by quoting the line from the Dinah Washington and Tony Bennett song: ‘What a difference a day makes’. A reference to the fact that as the weather has improved so too has farmer confidence. Their trade on Monday, he said, was “genuinely okay”, but dominated by “a large turn out of heavier stock” with more heavy cattle than stores present.