Camera at the Mart: beef cattle feeling the pressure in Kilkenny

Last Thursday’s weekly sale in Kilkenny Mart saw a smaller entry of cattle, with the trade holding similar to the previous week.

The sale saw over 300 cattle auctioned, with auctioneer George Candler describing the beef trade as difficult.

“The beef type animal in both the bullock and heifer rings is the most difficult to get away, with over €4/kg being very scarce for these types of animals.

"The best trade was continental bullocks and heifers in the store ring - these sold from €3.90/kg up to €4.90/kg,” said George.

“Factories cutting quotes on a weekly basis is having a knock-on effect around the ring, with the confidence knocked out of the finishers buying cattle.”

Bullocks

Bullocks weighing over 600kg sold from €3.20/kg to €4.15/kg. There was only a handful of cattle at this weight that sold for over €4/kg.

All bullocks averaged €3.44/kg, up marginally on the previous week, with a sharper trade for continental bullocks as opposed to traditional breeds and Friesian-cross bullocks.

Bullocks weighing from 500kg to 600kg sold for €3.10/kg up to €4.30/kg.

There was a better trade for the lighter bullock closer to 500kg and born in 2025, with these continental types crossing the €4/kg mark.

There was good demand for bullocks weighing from 400kg to 500kg, with these averaging €3.80/kg, down just 7c/kg on the previous week.

The best trade of the day was for the lightest bullocks weighing under 400kg, with a number of buyers after these types of cattle.

Top-quality continental bullocks were able to sell from €4.50/kg to €4.90/kg for the top lots, with traditional breeds selling from €4/kg up to €4.40/kg.

Heifers

Beef heifers - much like the bullocks - struggled to cross the €4/kg mark, with the trade for them on the day ranging from €3.20/kg up to €3.85/kg.

There was a slightly better trade for the forward store heifers, with prices varying from €3.00/kg up to €4.32/kg.

Again like the bullocks, it was the continental breeds that crossed the €4/kg mark, with traditional breeds falling short and selling from €3.20/kg to €3.80/kg.

Light store heifers saw the sharpest trade, with up to €4.45/kg to be got for heifers, with the general trade on the day varying from €3.00/kg up to €4.45/kg.

Continental heifers sold the best. There was a number of buyers for Hereford- and Angus-cross heifers, with these selling from €3.70/kg to €3.90/kg for well-bred types.