Headford Mart held its general cattle sale on Saturday last alongside its special weanling sale, with exceptional demand seen for all stock types.

A total of 512 cattle passed through the ring, with a mix of weanlings, store and finished bullocks and heifers alongside a strong entry of cull cows.

Farmers and feedlot buyers were active ringside for both weanlings and store cattle, with some exporters still active, with factory agents battling hard against exporters for finished lots.

Weanlings were the highlight of the sale and while quality was exceptionally good, prices matched this.

With reduced exporter activity, farmer buyers dominated in the weanling ring.

The vast majority of weanlings were clearing €5/kg with ease, with the main body of weanlings selling between €5.15/kg and €5.70/kg.

Some exceptional lots of both bulls and heifers, close to 30 in number, sold at or above €6/kg, with the top price in the weanling ring being a Limousin-cross bull weighing 340kg that went on to sell for €2,300 (€6.76/kg).

Variable

Angus-cross dairy-beef stock were variable in price, with some lesser types back below the €4.50/kg mark, while some better types with good weight for age sold from €4.70/kg upwards.

A strong show of heavy, well-finished bullocks were on offer and, as noted, factory agents and exporters for direct slaughter were active.

Top-end U grading bullocks weighing over 700kg with ample flesh were selling in the main for €4.20/kg to €4.45/kg, with plainer-type bullocks back to €3.70/kg to €3.95/kg.

Forward and light store bullocks were of a similar trade and selling to a similar price, with some top-end lots breaching €4.50/kg.

Tighter supply

Heifers were in tighter supply, especially for finished lots, though keen demand was seen for the lots on offer.

Good-quality continental heifers sold in the mid-€4/kg bracket for the mostly store-type lots on offer, with forward and finished-type Angus heifers weighing between 500kg and 600kg selling for around the €4.20/kg mark.

Cull cows were as sharp a trade as the prime cattle, with a good mix of feeder and finished lots on offer.

Friesian-cross types sold from €2.70/kg upwards, with continental cows selling from €3.70/kg upwards for both finished and store types, with over €4/kg paid for exceptional types.

Top price in the cull cows was a 2019-born Limousin cross cow weighing 900kg that sold for €3,580 (€3.98/kg).

A small show of cull stock bulls were also present, with these lots of ample flesh selling between €3.50/kg and €3.70/kg.