Cattle marts report: Despite traffic jams, stampede for quality cattle continues in Pamplona, West Cork
And for those of you who are unacquainted with Macroom’s ‘rush hour’ traffic, it occurs every summer from late May to early September. Macroom, the gateway to the west, is like a town where the gate is always half closed.
In Listowel recently, having a few jars in the company of local poet Gerard Byrne, we talked about a great many things, but one matter the poet kept returning to was the traffic gridlock in the town of Macroom. “Is there anything going to be done about it?” a concerned Gerard asked. Even in the far away bars of Listowel, Macroom’s infamous reputation for holding up traffic is a conversation topic.
The town of Macroom has needed a bypass since the days when I roamed around in short pants. And as far as I can see, judging on the total inaction that has always surrounded the issue, the day you will be able to bypass Macroom, will be the day your car has wings.
Anyway, moving on from the madness in the streets and to the order of the mart, Saturday once again saw a busy day of trading at Macroom mart with prices certainly holding firm.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to talk to mart manager, John O’Mahony. John, who at that very moment, was otherwise preoccupied running for his life in Pamplona. You’d think that he would have seen enough cattle throughout the year without running with the bulls on his holidays.
But fair play to him, it can be very easy to walk behind a beast with a stick in your hand, it’s another matter entirely to go in front, and let them do the chasing. And I’m glad to report that John and his pals got through the run unscathed. John is a very brave man indeed.
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 AA steer 685kg 1460
1 Hr steer 550kg 1360
2 Ch steers 650kg 1650
2 Lm steers 615kg 1550
1 Lm heifer 670kg 1560
1 Ch heifer 540kg 1490
1 Lm cow 700kg 1440
So back to business on Saturday in Macroom, dry cows sold from €130 to €740 over the kilo. Hereford and Aberdeen Angus bullocks made from €260 to €810 over the kilo.
Continental bullocks sold from €285 to €1,000 over the kilo. While heifers sold from €255 to €950 with the kilo. So clearly the stampede for cattle continues, both on the streets of Pamplona and in the west Cork mart of Macroom.
It’s to Dungarvan mart we go next where after Monday’s cattle sale mart manager, Ger Flynn, gave us the following report. “Cattle numbers are holding similar to last week, with prices holding well for quality lots of bullocks and heifers. We had an exceptional dry cow trade on Monday.”
No Breed Sex Weight €
4 Lm steers 672kg 1540
6 Ch steers 503kg 1300
3 Ch heifers 451kg 1175
2 BB heifers 477kg 1045
2 AA heifers 477kg 1040
1 AA cow 705kg 1400
1 Fr cow 760kg 1370
Bandon mart on Monday had 250 calves on offer, with the trade here for calves remaining strong. In Bandon on Monday dry cows made from €270 to €900 with the kilo.
Continental bullocks in Bandon sold from €500 up to €850 with the kilo. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks ranged in price from €420 to €800 with the kilo. Friesian bullocks at Bandon mart sold from €300 to €600 with the kilo. Heifers on Monday sold from €400 to €700 with their weight.
No Breed Sex Weight €
3 Ch steers 333kg 1030
4 Hr steers 377kg 1010
5 Fr steers 446kg 975
2 Ch heifers 417kg 980
6 Hr heifers 527kg 1175
4 Sim heifers 392kg 1005
1 Ch cow 850kg 1740
Next we go to Kilkenny mart where mart manager George Candler gave us this report, “we had another excellent cattle trade on Thursday last with buyers showing super confidence. Friesian bullocks were the poor relation of the trade, but now some are making almost €2.50 per kilo.
“And as for cull cows, Friesian cull cows peaked at €2.21 per kilo, with continentals making up to €2.48 per kilo.”
And then sounding a word of caution George went on, “let us hope that prices remain stable rather than increasing anymore.”
No Breed Sex Weight €
4 AA steers 620kg 1360
4 Fr steers 595kg 1270
5 Hr steers 385kg 1000
5 Fr steers 295kg 710
2 Sim heifers 420kg 1080
2 Hr heifer 320kg 820
2 Ch heifers 310kg 750
Kilmallock mart on Monday reported a big sale of cattle for the time of the year. Denis Kirby of Kilmallock mart gave us the following report.
“We had a very big sale for the middle of July. We had 1,000 stock on offer on Monday, this number included 300 calves.
“Trade in all four rings was very strong with a good number of Northern Ireland buyers in attendance. These buyers are using the power of sterling to purchase in big numbers. A lot of stock here on Monday sold in excess of €2.50 per kg.”
And with the cattle numbers in Kilmallock much bigger this year than normal, the mart advises sellers to have cattle in the yard early.
Looking at dairy stock, a 3 year old calved cow sold for €1,410 while a six-year-old cow made €1,160.
In suckling, a four-year-old Hereford cow and her Herford heifer calf made €1,630. A six-year-old Belgian Blue and her Charolais heifer calf sold for €1,500, while a ten-year-old Charolais cow and her Limousin heifer calf made €1,360.
And looking at bulls, an Aberdeen Angus bull weighing 390kgs and fit for breeding sold for €1,575, while a Friesian bull weighing 675kgs and fit for burgers sold for €1,000.
No Breed Sex Weight €
5 Hr steers 385kg 935
9 AA steers 383kg 930
3 Fr steers 348kg 700
3 Sim steers 502kg 1250
1 BB heifer 435kg 1020
2 Hr heifers 485kg 1140
2 AA heifers 490kg 1190
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 Hr steer 400kg 985
4 Fr steers 340kg 715
4 Lm steers 367kg 845
1 Ch steer 620kg 1375
5 AA steers 410kg 990
4 AA heifers 364kg 840
2 Ch heifers 372kg 990
And so it’s to Thurles mart we go next where mart manager Martin Ryan had this report. “We had a great trade all round with increased numbers of buyers from further afield appearing at the ring.”
No Breed Sex Weight €
1 Lm steer 630kg 1535
6 AA steers 470kg 1085
5 Lm steers 388kg 1205
5 Hr steers 470kg 1155
1 Ch heifer 636kg 1720
4 AA heifers 284kg 775
1 Lm cow 760kg 1590
In Corrin on Tuesday, mart manager Sean Leahy reported a large sale of bullocks with a lively trade for all types and weights. Store bullocks in Corrin made from €250 to €820 with the kilo, with beef bullocks going to €900 with their weight.
There was a good trade for heifers in Corrin with store heifers making from €250 to €640 per kilo, and butcher types reaching an impressive €1,090 over the kilo. There was a strong trade for dry cows at the Fermoy mart on Tuesday with cows ranging in price from €650 to €1,590 a head.
No Breed Sex Weight €
2 AA steers 657kg 1410
1 Fr steer 570kg 1230
2 Lm steers 485kg 1190
1 BB steer 470kg 1155
2 AA heifers 617kg 1190
1 Fr cow 700kg 1210
1 AA cow 710kg 1180
And finally for this week we go to Kanturk, where after Tuesday’s cattle sale mart manager Seamus O’Keeffe gave us this summing up, “Today we were full of customers with demand far greater than supply.”
Kanturk mart will host a show and sale for autumn born weanlings on Tuesday, July 28. Categories for autumn born weanlings include, Limousin, Charolais, Belgian Blue, Simmental, mixed class.
There will also be a prize for the best pen of weanlings.
The fun begins in Kanturk at 11.00am with approximately €2,500 in prize money up for grabs.
