Around 550 cattle, including over 400 bullocks, were sold at Monday’s general sale in Thurles Mart. And those 400 bullocks met with more brisk demand. Bullocks from 400kg to 500kg were up 8c/kg for the week, while bullocks from 500kg to 600kg were up 7c/kg - that’s €30 to €40 per head.

Bullocks

From 400kg to 500kg, bullocks averaged €1.80/kg. Friesian cattle set the price floor at €1.19/kg and went as high as €1.67/kg for better-quality lots.

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Moving on to the traditional beef-crosses, they started at €1.70/kg and topped out at €2.04/kg.

A small selection of continentals started at €2.05/kg and maxed out at €2.39/kg. The highest money per head went to a pair of May and June 2018-born Charolais bullocks, averaging 485kg, which sold for €1,140 (€2.35/kg).

Bullocks weighing 500kg to 600kg averaged €1.72/kg. The range for Friesians was €1.31/kg up to €1.53/kg. Angus- and Hereford-crosses continued from there up to €1.90/kg.

A strong selection of continentals started at €1.92/kg and topped out at €2.36/kg. Highest price per head here was €1,305 spent on a 19-month-old Blonde d’Aquitaine bullock weighing 580kg.

Heavy cattle weighing 600kg-plus were averaging €1.82/kg, with better-quality lots drifting across the €2/kg mark.

Heifers

From 400kg to 500kg, heifers averaged €1.71/kg. In reality, this weight band was made up almost entirely of Hereford-cross and Angus-cross heifers, which started at €1.54/kg and went up to €1.81/kg for better types. A handful of Charolais-cross heifers were a step above, starting at €1.93/kg up to €1.97/kg.

For dairy-beef heifers weighing between 500kg and 600kg, the range was €1.62/kg up to €1.74/kg. Continentals in this weight category started at €1.83/kg and topped at €1.99/kg. The highest price paid was €1,045, which was paid for a 525kg Blonde d’Aquitaine heifer born in December 2017.

Thurles Mart

To the seller, commission rates for bullocks, heifers and cows are €10/head for singles and €9/head for multiples, plus 0.05%. For calves, it's €8/head for a single calf plus 0.05%.

To the buyer, commission is €10/head for bullocks, heifers and cows and €7/head for calves.

Analysis for this report was generated from the MartBids app. MartBids is a collaboration between the Irish Farmers Journal and livestock marts. The app is available for download on iPhone or Android on the App Store or Google Play. With this app, all of the information that is displayed on the mart board is now available on your smartphone, long before the animal enters the sales ring.