The demand from grass buyers drove the price, with outlying cattle making 20c/kg to 40c/kg more than their housed equivalents.

Outwintered Hereford and Angus-cross cattle were making similar money to continental cattle in a sale that saw a majority of yearling cattle on offer.

Friesians, while scarce, made anywhere from €1.54/kg to around the €2/kg mark.

Younger Angus cattle were also thin on the ground, with suckler-bred stock more than making up for this; €2.40/kg up to €2.96 was available for these types of cattle.

Sample bullock prices

  • Three Charolais, February, 2016 – 466kg, €1,240, €2.66/kg.
  • Four Herefords, March, 2016 – 293kg, €790, €2.70/kg.
  • Four Angus, March, 2015 – 478kg, €1,030, €2.16/kg.
  • Two Hereford, March, 2015 – 552kg, €1,120, €2.03/kg.
  • One Aubrac, April, 2015 – 655kg, €1,240, €1.89/kg.
  • Two Chaolais, May, 2016 – 362kg, €910, €2.51/kg.
  • Three Herefords, March, 2016 – 401kg, €800, €2/kg.
  • Four Friesians, January, 2015 – 407kg, €790, €1.94/kg.
  • Four Simmentals, February, 2016 – 421kg, €1,100, €2.61/kg.

    • These March 2016-born bullocks weighed an average of 320kg and sold for €870 each (€2.72/kg).

    This November 2015-born bullock weighed 625kg and sold for €1,250 (€2/kg).

    These October 2015-born bullocks weighed an average of 533kg and sold for €1,245 each (€2.34/kg).

    Bulls

  • One Charolais, September, 2016 – 420kg, €1,160, €2.76/kg
  • Two Charolais, September, 2016 – 270kg, €820, €3.03/kg.
  • Two Charolais, September, 2016 – 267kg, €750, €2.81/kg.
  • Five Herefords, July, 2016 – 219kg, €620, €2.83/kg.

    • Dairy sale

    In the dairy sale, calved cows sold from €950 to €1,450, with yearling heifers averaging €524.

    There was a selection of sucklers, with a top price of €1,460 for a Simmental cow with a Belgian Blue calf at foot. A Blonde D'aquitaine with a blonde bull calf sold for €1,350, while 13 two-year-old calved Angus and Galloway heifers with calves of the same breed averaged €757.

    Dry cows continued to sell, well with the majority of those on offer selling for between €200 and €300 with the weight.

    This 2015-born calved heifer had an economic breeding index (EBI) of 118 and made €1,420.

    This 2015-born calved heifer with an EBI of 111 made €1,270.

    Scroll through more photos in the gallery at the top of the page.

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