Irish beef should not be allowed to follow beet into shadows, warns suckler farmer
“I feel all eyes are on dairy farming at present,” he said. “It’s all about dairy expansion with little thought been given to beef production.
“At the moment suckler farmers are being paid a derisory €40 per suckler cow, and this is up from €20. But €40 a cow will get you nowhere. One call out for the vet for the cow and your €40 is gone in a shot.
“The way I see it, dairy farmers are seen as the future of agriculture and the rest of us in farming are simply viewed as those who should really step to the side, help out, facilitate the farmer eager to expand in dairying. This I feel is a grave mistake.
“The Minister for Agriculture spoke recently about re-launching the Irish beet industry. Beet production was a lucrative business once, but was let die.
“Why look at reviving beet farming when beef farming is dying? I think the Minister should instead be examining ways of ensuring beef farming remains. It’s a business worth saving.”
And so with that we head to the marts. On Monday I went to Kilmallock, the daddy of all marts, and daddy, as usual, was doing very well indeed.
There were plenty of cattle on offer in kilmallock, with a good demand for stores in the main ring, and madness still prevailing in the calf ring.
Looking at bullocks first, good store Friesians were hitting and surpassing €2.00/kg, with €2.50/kg and upwards common enough for bullocks and heifers with a continental flair.
In suckling, a three-year-old Limousin and her Limousin bull calf sold for €1860.
While a six-year-old Charolais in-calf to an Aberdeen Angus, time up in March sold for €1,470.
Looking at dairy stock, a three-year-old in-calf Friesian heifer, springing to an Aberdeen Angus sold for €1,500. While a three-year-old softening to calve to an Aberdeen Angus made €1,400.
And in Kilmallock mart on Monday, a clearance sale of 30 dairy cows sold very well, all were spring calvers and they made up to €1,210 each with most making €1,100-plus.
And briefly retuning to the madness of the calf ring on Monday, it was the kind of place where a week old Friesian bull sold for the princely sum of €140.
I witnessed a handy Hereford heifer making €475, but Margaret in the mart office told me later in the day that I missed a right bargin entirely when a four-week-old Limousin bull calf was snapped up for €580.
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Lm steers 395kg 870
2 Hr steer 313kg 740
1 AA steer 350kg 720
2 Fr steers 373kg 740
1 Lm heifer 430kg 1080
2 AA heifer 458kg 1010
1 Fr cow 475kg 900
“Cattle and calf numbers are on the increase, with a good demand all round,” said mart manager Ger Flynn, summing up of the trade in Dungarvan on Monday.
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Sim steers 595kg 1250
3 Hr steers 563kg 1215
1 Lm steer 430kg 1115
1 Ch heifer 515kg 1160
1 Hr heifer 450kg 1015
1 Fr heifer 550kg 1130
1 Fr cow 755kg 1250
In Skibbereen on Friday, dry cows sold from €120 to €620 over the kilo. Heifers here sold from €350 to €720 with their weight.
Continental bullocks made from €450 to €750. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks ranged in price from €450 to €700 with the kilo. While Friesians sold from €300 to €635 with the kilo. Sucklers in Skibereen made from €1,300 to €1,510 a head.
No Breed Sex Weight €
4 Hr steers 487kg 1090
2 AA steers 477kg 1070
2 Lm steers 500kg 1160
1 Fr steer 775kg 1410
1 Lm heifer 415kg 1040
3 Ch heifers 348kg 925
1 Ch cow 810kg 1450
Tom McCarthy reported a good trade for dry cows in Bandon mart on Monday. Dry cows here sold from €60 to €630 over the kilo. Heifers sold from €420 to €700 with their weight.
Continental bullocks made from €600 to €760. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks ranged in price from €360 to €705 with the kilo. While Friesians sold from €300 to €650 with the kilo.
At Mondays dairy sale in Bandon stock sold from €1,000 to €1,450 a head. Bandon mart will hold its next dairy sale on 16th of February.
But most interesting of all, looking at the calf trade Tom noticed that “the trade for calves is settling down a bit, with plainer lots that bit tougher.” Hallelujah.
No Breed Sex Weight €
4 Fr steers 816kg 1460
1 AA steer 595kg 1300
1 Hr steer 360kg 790
2 Sim steers 647kg 1400
2 AA heifers 497kg 1100
5 Ch heifers 464kg 1005
1 Fr cow 710kg 1340
And Martin Ryan of Thurles mart also had a similar take on the calf trade. “Calves may have been a small bit easier at todays sale.” And for those of us who would like to buy a calf, but are afraid to raise our hand as we don’t have the money of Donald Trump, this news can only be greeted with a mixture of relief and joy.
And on the general cattle trade, Martin had this to add. “Numbers are picking up and so are the prices.
“Store cattle were seriously on fire. If those prices don’t bring them out nothing will, but as one farmer said to me yesterday, whilst farmers have fodder or grass they don’t sell cattle.
“Practically everything on Monday was a roaring trade. One man said to me he was hoping, and emphasised the hope element, of getting €7,000 for seven Friesian bullocks, but he got €8,365.”
No Breed Sex Weight €
4 Hr steers 316kg 800
5 Fr steers 177kg 420
3 Jersey steers 423kg 655
1 Sim steers 465kg 1050
2 AA heifer 201kg 530
2 Sim heifers 165kg 550
1 Lm cow 650kg 1190
And next we turn to Macroom mart, where mart manager John O’Mahony said trade has been fairly steady..
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 AA steers 645kg 1330
3 Hr steers 255kg 680
1 Lm steer 605kg 1330
1 Ch steer 495kg 1125
2 Sim heifers 580kg 1325
2 BAx cow 547kg 1265
1 Lm cow 700kg 1450
“We had a similar size sale of cattle as last week, with an excellent trade once again for all types of stock across the board,” said John O’Mahony
And so finally for this week we go to Kanturk mart where on Tuesday evening Michael Scanlon gave me this report.
“There was a very big sale of cattle at todays sale. Prices were well maintained on last weeks increase.
“We had a good bullock trade with top continentallots making up to €600 over the kilo. 100 cull cows met a complete clearance. A special entry of Charlois cows with calves at foot sold from €1,400 to €1,900.”
No Breed Sex Weight €
5 Fr steers 520kg 1000
5 AA steers 315kg 740
6 Lm steers 315kg 835
1 BB steer 280kg 660
2 Ch heifers 275kg 770
3 Lm heifers 353kg 950
1 Lm cow 530kg 880
