Mart Prices: Buyers from the North fanning the flames

Latest mart prices from Bandon, Kilmallock, Macroom, Kilkenny and Ennis

An in-calf Blonde d'Aquitaine (108 months old) which weighed 830kg and sold for €1,280, at Macroom Mart last Saturday.

It’s been a long year.

A year most will want to forget. But a year in which cattle prices at the marts have been at their most stable.

It seems the more unstable the world becomes, the more stable the mart gets.

It just goes to show that our cattle business might be a lot more resilient than we are led to believe.

There was “a very strong trade for calves” in Bandon on Monday, according to Bandon mart manager Tom McCarthy. The mart had 300 calves on offer with up to €410 a head being paid for the best runner type Friesian bulls. Up to €600 a head was paid for the best continental runner calves.

In Bandon on Monday, dry cows sold from €100 under to €500 over the kilo, with a few exceptional cows making up to €900 over the kilo.

Friesian bullocks in Bandon sold from €300 to €470 with the kilo.

Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks made from €350 to €550 with their weight. Heifers in Bandon traded from €300 to €565 with their weight.

Bandon
Monday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
4	Fr	steers	561kg	950
1	Fr	steer	730kg	1200
3	AA	steers	528kg	1080
3	Hr	steers	411kg	820
3	Hr	heifers	411kg	820
1	Fr	cow	815kg	1210
1	Ch	cow	980kg	1840

At Kilmallock, 850 stock went under the hammer at this past week.

The trade was reported by the mart to be “on fire at all three sales” with “buyers from all over the country purchasing stock at the moment.” Bullocks sold for up to €2.25 per kg. Up to €565 was paid for runners. Young calves sold for up to €350 a head. On Wednesday, 165 dry cows sold for up to €1280 a head or €1.83 per kg. Heifers hit €2.10 per kg. Factory bulls sold for up to €1480 a head. Weanling bulls made up to €3.09 per kg. Weanling heifers sold for up to €2.70 per kg.

Kilmallock
Monday/Wednesday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
5	He	steers	356kg	760
3	Fr	steers	382kg	670
2	Ch	steers	533kg	1090
4	Lim	steers	484kg	1090
4	Hr	heifers	474kg	890
1	AA	heifer	495kg	960
1	Fr	cow	450kg	570

In Macroom mart on Saturday, it was another busy day of cattle trading.

The sale of 28 smashing suckler cows was the highlight of the day. These in calf cows sold to a high of €1,420 a head. Also in Macroom on Saturday, Friesian bullocks sold from €1.50/kg to €1.75/kg. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford bullocks sold from €1.80/kg to €2/kg. Continental bullocks sold from €2.20/kg to €2.65/kg. Heifers made from €2.20 to €2.55.

In the weanlings, bulls in Macroom sold from €2.25/kg to €2.65 /kg. Weanling heifers made from €2.15/kg to €2.45/kg.

Macroom
Saturday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
6	Fr	steers	560kg	925
1	Hr	steer	675kg	1280
2	AA	steers	580kg	1120
1	Lm	steer	560kg	1240
1	Lm	heifer	375kg	940
1	Lm	cow	715kg	1200
1	Ch	cow	750kg	1200

Kilkenny mart had 650 cattle on offer on Thursday, with mart manager George Candler reporting “A similar trade for cattle as last week with more bullocks on offer.

“Quality forward stores met a flying trade with a top call of €2.60 per kilo.

“All heifers met a good trade, with more customers active on line.

Bullocks in Kilkenny on Thursday sold from €1.60 to €2.60 per kilo.

Heifers in Kilkenny made from €1.65 to €2.40 per kilo.

Friesian cull cows at the sale sold from €0.75 to €1.60 per kilo. Continental cull cows made from €1.30 to €1.80 per kilo.

Kilkenny
Thursday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
2	Lim	steers	665kg	1595
10	Hr	steers	660kg	1180
7	Ch	steers	650kg	1500
2	Ch	steers	495kg	1180
1	BB	heifer	750kg	1580
4	Lim	heifers	385kg	880
3	AA	heifers	370kg	780

Ennis mart on Friday had over 400 bullocks on offer.

Ann Keane of Clare Co-Op Marts reported that “a share of heavy cattle today over 30 months exceeded €2/kg once they had flesh.

“The trade was as strong as last week, and quality stock very sought after.

“There was a strong demand for the beef type animal, with a share of Northern buyers intereste.”

Looking back at last Thursday’s sale of cows and heifers at Ennis mart, Ann said, “Numbers similar to last week overall, with cull cows up in numbers, and heifer numbers easier.

“About 40% of the cows on Thursday were dairy stock, but not straight from the parlour.

“The trade was a shade sharper in both the cows and heifers. Strong Northern activity again for forward stock pushed many lots of cows to over €2/kg.

“Heifers were a very strong trade again on Thursday, with aged bulls averaging €1.62/kg and a top call of €1,840 for a Limousin bull weighing 1000kg.”

Ennis
Thursday/Friday
No	Breed	Sex	Weight	€
1	Lim	steer	815kg	1850
4	Ch	steers	544kg	1380
2	AA	steers	535kg	1300
3	Hr	steers	443kg	950
5	AA	heifers	374kg	740
1	Sim	cow	695kg	1460
1	Ch	cow	915kg	1770