Friday’s sale at Skibbereen Mart saw strong farmer activity for all types of bullocks and heifers. With most cattle now at grass in west Cork, the premium that outlying cattle had in recent weeks seems to have passed.

Very few beef-bred bullocks sold outside of the €2.15/kg to €2.50/kg price range, although select lots of continentals exceeded this, with some selling for over €3/kg. The main demand saw bullocks from 400kg to 500kg sell mainly from €980 to €1,150/head.

Friesians were scarce, but sold from €250 to €415 over the weight. Most young bulls on offer sold from €2.40/kg to €2.80/kg, with a handful selling for more than this. Demand for bulls over and under the 310kg threshold for export to Turkey was steady on previous weeks.

The heifer trade was similar to bullocks, with a good demand for continental types of all ages. Heavy heifers over 550kg were in short supply. Two-year-old Angus and Hereford heifers sold mainly from €1.95/kg to €2/kg, depending on quality.

Lighter two-year-olds were a tougher trade, with prices 20c to 30c behind heifers that were of a similar age but heavier. Demand for dry cows was strong yet again, with over 70 cows on offer. Prices of Friesians ranged mainly from €1.40/kg to €1.60/kg for good-quality feeding types and from €1.75/kg to €1.95/kg for good-quality continentals.

Commission rates are 1.5% to the seller, with a minimum of €9.50 and €9 to the buyer.