The final week of purchasing for grass farmers for ANC held store prices firm in Portumna Mart at last Wednesday’s general cattle sale.

Light store heifers below 400kg averaged €4.04/kg, with heifers in the 400kg to 500kg bracket averaging €3.63/kg.

Top-quality continental heifers suitable for further feeding or breeding averaged €4.07/kg, while poorer-quality lots averaged €3.26/kg.

Bullocks traded for similar money, with lighter lots averaging €3.78/kg, with over €4/kg seen for higher-end stock, while forward-type stores weighing 400kg to 500kg averaged €3.52/kg, with top- and poorer-quality lots selling for 40c/kg above or below this.

Heavy bullocks over 500kg averaged €3.76/kg, with less of a difference between top-end and bottom-end lots, with a difference on average of 25c/kg above or below €3.76/kg.

A small number of weanling bulls saw lots weighing 200kg to 300kg sold for an average of €4.13/kg, with lots above 300kg averaging €3.82/kg.

Some 82 calves and runners were sold, with a high of €800 paid for a pen of eight three-month-old Angus-cross bull calves weighing 123kg.

Cull cows sold to an average of €3.04/kg, with €3.40/kg to €3.96/kg paid for quality forward continental types.