Tullow Mart in Co Carlow recorded a lively trade at its spring-born weanling show and sale held on Friday last.

Top-quality weanling bulls were sought after by exporters, specialist finishers and farmers looking to buy a good calf for beef finishing.

Mart manager Eric Driver reported that the best-quality bulls on offer exceeded the €3/kg mark with ease, with the general run of good-quality bulls selling from €3.30/kg to €3.60/kg and as high as €4/kg for E and U grading Belgian Blue and continental bulls.

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Weather woes

The recent persistent inclement weather has been very hard on stock, with younger stock and lighter weanlings not receiving complementary feed starting to show the effects of the tough conditions.

This has opened up a wider price differential in recent weeks between the best-quality lots and plainer or weather-beaten stock.

Prices ranged on average from €2.70/kg to €2.90/kg for plainer-quality bulls weighing from 340kg to 420kg, with better-quality lots averaging from €2.90/kg to €3.25/kg and the best quality above this.

There was plenty of buyers present for heifers, with those with breeding potential in cases attracting heightened competition.

Similar trend

There was a similar trend for heifers as with bulls, albeit at slightly lower average price trends.

Weanling heifers weighing 300kg to 370kg sold on average from €2.90/kg to €3.30/kg. A selection of superior-quality lots rose to €3.25/kg to €3.50/kg, while some plainer-quality types sold back to €2.55/kg to €2.80/kg.

There was a higher percentage of heifers on offer at lighter weights than usual owing to inclement weather.

Heifers weighing 240kg to 290kg followed a similar trend, with light heifers exhibiting poor weight for age selling from €2.60/kg to €2.80/kg. Better-quality types sold from €2.80/kg to €3.00/kg, while, again, R+ and U grading lots exceeded €3/kg and rose to a top of €3.50/kg.

In pictures

This 305kg Charolais-cross bull born 03/04/23 sold for €900 (€2.95/kg).

This Limousin-cross weanling bull weighing 325kg and born 28/02/23 sold for €1,020 (€3.14/kg).

This Simmental-cross bull weighing 290kg and born 16/04/23 sold for €900 (€3.10/kg).

This Charolais-cross bull weighing 320kg and born 10/05/23 sold for €830 (€2.59/kg).

This Charolais-cross bull weighing 420kg and born 12/12/22 sold for €1,180 (€2.81/kg).

Weighing 300kg, this Charolais-cross heifer born 11 January 2023 sold for €820 (€2.73/kg).

This Charolais-cross heifer weighing 325kg and born 19/03/23 sold for €850 (€2.62/kg).

This 260kg Limousin-cross weanling heifer born 20/02/23 sold for €750 (€2.88/kg).

Weighing 275kg, this Charolais-cross heifer born 01/04/23 sold for €750 (€2.73/kg).

This Charolais-cross weanling heifer weighing 305kg and born 05/04/23 sold for €850 (€2.79/kg).

This 240kg Limousin-cross heifer born 21/03/23 sold for €600 (€2.50/kg).

This Limiusin-cross heifer weighing 270kg and born 02/02/23 sold for €700 (€2.59/kg).

This Charolais-cross heifer weighing 310kg and born 20/03/23 sold for €830 (€2.68/kg).

This Limousin-cross heifer weighing 255kg and born 21/02/23 sold for €670 (€2.63/kg).

This pair of light Limousin bulls weighing 150kg and born on 03/06/2023 and 16/06/23 sold for €480 (€3.20/kg).

This 335kg Charolais-cross heifer born 13/12/22 sold for €890 (€2.66/kg).

Weighing 260kg, this Charolais-cross heifer born 10/05/23 sold for €660 (€2.54/kg).

This 360kg Charolais-cross heifer born 19/03/23 sold for €890 (€2.47/kg).