There was a genuine buzz around Roscrea Mart on Friday for the 56th annual Central Auctions fatstock show and sale. This week, it was the turn of the male animals, after the females garnered the limelight the week before.

The fatstock show and sale ran in tandem with the general Friday cattle sale. All in all, there was just over 400 bullocks on offer.

Mart manager Michael Harty commented specifically on the extremely high quality of cattle in the yard and he noted a brisk trade too: “The year has started off very well. There certainly seems to be a better mood out there and the live trade is strong at the head of it.”

Show and sale

The fatstock show and sale attracted a crowd large enough to fill the ringside and surrounding areas. One onlooker commented: “For some people, today’s sale is their Christmas Day.”

The show and sale featured four categories: best beef-type bullock, best pair of beef-type bullocks, best store-type bullock and best pair of store-type bullocks. An overall champion was also picked.

Each category boasted a prize of €100 for the winner and €75 and €50 for second and third places respectively.

This first-prizewinning bullock, a Belgian Blue-cross, born March 2018 and weighing 840kg, sold for €2,040 (€2.43/kg).

This Belgian Blue-cross bullock, born March 2018 and weighing 815kg, sold for €2,000 (€2.45/kg).

The overall champion prize went to lot number 343A, owned by Erwin Stanley. The 22-month-old Belgian Blue bullock weighing 795kg was knocked down at €2,000 (€2.52/kg).

The same owner went well again when his 34-month-old 995kg Belgian Blue bullock made the second-highest price of the sale at €2,450 (€2.46/kg). This had a first-prize rosette of its own, claiming the title of best beef-type in the morning judging.

This Charolais-cross bullock, born April 2018 and weighing 910kg, sold for €2,200 (€2.42/kg)

This second-prizewinning bullock, a Belgian Blue-cross, born January 2018 and weighing 760kg, sold for €2,000 (€2.63/kg).

Lot number 390 secured first prize for best store type. The stylish 22-month-old bullock, owned by William Treacy, weighed 840kg and sold for €2,040 (€2.43/kg).

Top price on the day went to a 34-month-old Belgian Blue bullock weighing 1,130kg. Auctioneer John Osbourne dropped the gavel at €2,800 (€2.48/kg).

This pair of Limousin-cross bullocks, born August 2017 and averaging 762kg, sold for €1,740 (€2.28/kg).

Overall

Analysis of MartBids prices shows that the overall trade was very strong, with prices well up across all weight bands.

This Belgian Blue-cross bullock, born April 2017 and weighing 760kg, sold for €1,500 (€1.97/kg).

This Belgian Blue-cross bullock, born September 2018 and weighing 560kg, sold for €1,260 (€2.25/kg).

Bullocks weighing from 400kg to 500kg averaged €2.15/kg. Dairy-beef lots ranged from €1.60/kg up to €2.05/kg. Continentals kicked in at €1.95/kg and ran up to a high of €2.57/kg. Good-quality hit over €2.40/kg consistently.

This Limousin-cross bullock, born March 2018 and weighing 565kg, sold for €1,280 (€2.27/kg).

This Charolais-cross bullock, born April 2018 and weighing 595kg, sold for €1,290 (€2.17/kg).

Those from 500kg to 600kg averaged €2.07/kg. Again, dairy lots put a floor under the trade at €1.55/kg and ran to €2.02/kg. Continentals continued up to €2.59/kg, with €2.30/kg the point at which quality animals were separated.

This Charolais-cross bullock, born March 2018 and weighing 595kg, sold for €1,405 (€2.36/kg).

This Charolais-cross bullock, born May 2018 and weighing 610kg, sold for €1,410 (€2.31/kg).

Over 600kg, the average was €2.06/kg. A small number of dairy lots went from €1.70/kg up to the €2/kg mark.

A large contingency of heavy continentals, as a result of the show and sale, went well and ranged from €2.05/kg up to €2.67/kg.

This Blonde-cross bullock, born May 2017 and weighing 695kg, sold for €1,420 (€2.04/kg).

This pair of Charolais-cross bullocks, born June 2018 and averaging 632kg, sold for €1,380 (€2.18/kg).

This Charolais-cross bullock, born March 2018 and weighing 625kg, sold for €1,380 (€2.21/kg).

This Charolais-cross bullock, born June 2018 and weighing 540kg, sold for €1,180 (€2.19/kg).

This Limousin-cross bullock, born April 2018 and weighing 665kg, sold for €1,390 (€2.09/kg).

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.