Camera at the Mart: red-hot trade for beef in Ballinasloe

Ballinasloe Mart in Co Galway recorded a red-hot trade for any slaughter-fit cattle entered in last Wednesday’s general sale of cattle and cows.

Agents were keen to try to use the mart trade to compensate for tight supplies, with an added bit in places to get cattle on hand before the arrival of storm Éowyn.

When it came to slaughter-fit stock, quality and flesh cover were paramount, with less notice taken of age and moves once the animal was of good quality.

This was typified in the sale of a 40-month-old Charolais bullock weighing 725kg, which sold for €2,760 or €3.81/kg.

Sizeable numbers

Slaughter-fit stock exceeded the €3/kg mark with ease, with sizeable numbers of top-quality bullocks and heifers weighing upwards of 580kg to 600kg selling from €3.50/kg to €3.80/kg and reaching as high as €4/kg-plus on a few occasions.

Traditional breeds and some lesser-quality cattle sold from €3.10/kg to €3.40/kg, with flesh cover again having a big bearing on competition.

Manager Eilish Curley commented that more farmers with slaughter-fit cattle have been opting to show cattle live to take advantage of the increased levels of competition and vibrant trade.

Demand for store cattle was also brisk, with continental stores selling in the main from €3.20/kg to €3.45/kg.

Excellent-quality lots exceeded this range and, likewise, some cattle with poor weight for age or possessing less scope to feed into higher grades sold back to €3/kg.

Cull cows

Eilish said that the sale for cull cows has been a bright aspect of the mart trade for some time, with Wednesday’s sale again not disappointing.

Heavier continental cows and younger well-conformed cows topped the €3/kg mark, selling to €3.30/kg.

Slaughter-fit O grading types sold from €2.50/kg to €2.80/kg, while cows lacking significant flesh cover - of which there were few - sold back to €2.30/kg.

The mart had to cancel this week’s cattle sale due to internet connectivity issues caused by storm Éowyn.

It is hoped these will be rectified quickly and customers should contact the mart ahead of Thursday’s sheep sale.

The mart is also adopting a similar position for Saturday’s weanling sale and is encouraging customers to make contact in advance to the sale to ensure it is going ahead before travelling.