Roscrea Mart’s annual January fatstock show and sale of heifers held last Friday exceeded expectations, with the trade disregarding recent beef price pressure.

The top third of heifers, weighing in both the 500kg to 600kg and 600kg-plus weight categories, sold for in excess of €5/kg.

The average price for over 550 heifers in this weight range topped €4.50/kg.

Central auction manager Michael Harty commented that the high-quality of heifers on offer boosted average prices.

He said that the sale is now a target for many farmers producing show-quality heifers, with the best-quality lots selling in excess of €5.50/kg with a dozen heifers topping €6/kg and selling to a top of €10.15/kg for a 595kg Limousin-cross heifer.

Specialist producers

Specialist in-calf heifer producers were also active and competed firmly with factory agents and specialist finishers.

Prices for such types exceeded €5/kg while plainer-quality feeding types of a similar weight sold back to €4.20/kg-€4.50/kg for continental heifers.

Average-quality slaughter-fit continental heifers sold from €4.15/kg- €4.50/kg with excellent-quality lots attracting butcher and wholesale-buyer interest selling to €5/kg.

The trade for slaughter-fit Hereford-cross and Angus-cross heifers also exceeded comparable factory returns with fleshed heifers averaging around the €4/kg mark.

The sharp trade witnessed a clearance rate of over 98% of almost 700 heifers on offer.

Weanling fatstock

The mart will hold its weanling fatstock show and sale on Wednesday 14 January with bulls going under the hammer at 3pm and heifers at 4pm while the annual bullock fatstock show and sale takes place on Friday.