Granard Mart’s Monday evening weanling sale saw trade unaffected by the discovery over the weekend of bluetongue in Co Wexford, with the Longford mart recording a 98% clearance across the 160 weanlings on offer.

Prices on average were on par with the week before, with weanling heifers slightly back on price, while weanling bulls saw a healthy increase.

Bull weanlings from 200kg to 300kg saw the only decrease in price in the bull trading for an average of €5.73/kg, back 2c/kg on last week.

Numbers were most prevalent in bulls weighing 300kg to 400kg, with these lots seeing a sharp increase of 18c/kg on the week before, trading to an average of €5.60/kg, leaving the average-quality bull of 340kg at a price per head of €1,904.

A small show of bulls weighing 400kg to 450kg also increased in price on the week, selling to an average of €5.50/kg, up 21c/kg.

Weanling heifers were significantly smaller in number and were back slightly on price, with heifer weanlings weighing from 200kg to 300kg averaging €5.15/kg (back 24c/kg on the week prior).

The top third of heifers of this weight sold to an average of €6.18/kg.

Heifers between 300kg and 400kg averaged €4.84/kg, back 37c/kg on the week prior.