Tuesday’s sale at Fermoy Mart saw an entry of about 600 cattle and 220 calves. According to mart manager Sean Leahy, the trade was very strong right across the board, but Angus and Hereford weanlings were the standout trade on the day.

Light Angus and Hereford-crosses from the dairy herd from 250kg to 260kg were making from €600 to €650, while heavier types weighing about 300kg were an even stronger trade.

Sean said that these cattle sold from €680 to €750 or from €2.20/kg to €2.50/kg. “These were a flying trade, with plenty of buyers active for all types.”

The trade for forward cattle was brisk also, with feedlot buyers back out and very active for all forward types.

Sean said that the demand for Friesians was very strong also, with prices well up on what was being paid in November and December.

Heavy Angus and Herefords sold freely at €2.00/kg, while coloured cattle over 500kg sold from €1,100 to €1,200.

The cow trade has been very strong also. Sean said that good-quality store cows are in short supply, with the majority of Friesian cows coming to the fore being well-fleshed three-quarter-fit cows and short-keep types.

Out of the 150 cows on offer on Tuesday, about 30 of these were store types.

Forward cows were selling mainly from €750 to €850/head, with top-quality Friesians making up to €1,000/head.

Calf sale

The calf sale saw about 220 on offer. Sean said that numbers are running about a week behind last year so far, but he expects next week’s sale to be double the size of this week’s one.

Up to now, the majority of calves on offer have been younger types.

There was plenty of competition for export calves, with all players at the ring active. The majority of export calves sold from €70 to €130/head, with prices averaging at about €90/head. At the upper end of quality, for Spanish-type calves, farmer demand was taking the exporters out of it at times.

Farmer Friesian calves sold from €130 to €160, with Angus and Herefords a strong trade for small numbers.

Commission rates for adult cattle are seller pays 1.5%, with a minimum of €9.50/head, and buyer €9/head.