The trade for weanlings in Donegal Mart on Friday exceeded expectations, with prices averaging just shy of €5.50/kg for an entry of over 200 bulls and €5.50/kg for about 130 heifers on offer.

Demand from bulls was driven in the main by specialist bull beef finishers competing with live exporters, while farmers in a weanling-to-store or weanling-to-beef system were also active for bulls suitable for castrating. As such, competition was high across all weight categories.

About 20% of bulls weighed from 200kg to 300kg. The average price here was €1,532 or €5.76/kg paid for bulls with an average weight of 266kg.

Only a handful of bulls sold less than €5/kg, with a dozen topping €6/kg and rising to €6.95/kg.

Bulls weighing 300kg to 400kg comprised over 50% of the entry. The average price for bulls weighing 353kg on average was €3.54/kg or €1,957/head.

Another 25% of bulls weighing from 400kg to 500kg attracted keen interest from bulls beef finishers, with bulls averaging 437kg selling for €5.25/kg or €2,291/head, while the balance averaging 540kg sold for €4.72/kg or €2,539/head.

Heifers

Interest for heifers was driven by beef producers, with some top-quality breeding types attracting interest from suckler farmers and specialist in-calf heifer producers.

Heifers weighing from 200kg to 300kg recorded a fine average price of €1,446/head or €5.43/kg for an average weight of 267kg.

Lots weighing from 300kg to 400kg averaged €5.18/kg or a price of €1,786/head for an average weight of 346kg.

Demand was sharp for heifers with good weights for age and heifers weighing from 400kg to 500kg (447kg on average) sold for €4.73/kg or €2,116/head.

Heavier lots weighing 500kg-plus sold for €2,601/head or €4.61/kg at an average weight of 567kg.

There was also an entry of about two dozen cull cows which sold briskly. The average cow weighing 692kg sold for €3.59/kg or €2,512/head with a price range of €3.40/kg to €4.00/kg for quality fleshed lots, reducing back to €3/kg and under for those very short on flesh cover.

An entry of a dozen mainly lighter in-calf cows weighing from 530kg to 640kg sold steadily ranging in price from €2,300 to €2,800.

In pictures

This 404kg Limousin-cross heifer born 28/06/24 sold for €2,020 (€5/kg).

Weighing 388kg, this Salers-cross heifer born 16/01/25 sold for €2,040 (€5.26/kg).

This Charolais-cross heifer weighing 268kg and born 27/05/25 sold for €1,530 (€5.71/kg).

This Charolais-cross bull weighing 436kg and born 15/4/25 sold for €2,440 (€5.60/kg).

This bull weighing 312kg and born 30/03/25 sold for €1,580 (€5.06/kg).

This quality Charolais-cross bull weighing 352kg and born 02/07/25 sold for €2,320 (€6.59/kg).

This 218kg Limousin-cross bull born 06/06/25 sold for €1,260 (€5.78/kg).

This Limousin-cross bull weighing 488kg and born 25/02/25 sold for €2,400 (€4.92/kg).

Weighing 406kg, this Charolais-cross bull born 30/03/25 sold for €2,000 (€4.93/kg).

This good-quality Limousin-cross heifer weighing 612kg and born 21/02/24 sold for €2,840 (€4.64/kg).

This 414kg Charolais-cross bull born 4/8/25, sold for €2,680 (€6.47/kg).

This Charolais-cross bull weighing 574kg and born 1/2/25 sold for €2,300 (€4.01/kg).

This nice-quality Charolais-cross heifer weighing 406kg and born 26/03/25 sold for €2,080 (€5.12/kg).