The mart trade continues to hit new highs this week, with a number of special weanling sales seeing huge demand for weanlings from exporters and farmers.
Exporters remain in the driving seat, taking out farmer buyers for the top-quality weanlings.
Their preference seems to continue to be Limousin and Belgian Blue weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket, but breed is irrelevant for some once the quality is right.
A number of special sales this week in the south of the country brought out some big numbers of weanlings, with Ennis in particular having a very big show on Tuesday.
Clare Marts general manager Martin McNamara reported that this year’s bull weanlings in the show and sale weighed roughly the same as last year, but came in €1,000/head dearer than the same sale in 2024.
In the heifer ring, they were 8kg heavier and €1,008/head dearer than the 2024 sale.
Quality was up across the board, with some exceptional weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket.
Like all other marts this week, the trade for 200kg to 300kg weanlings was up, with a lot of farmer buyers tracking back on weights being purchased to avoid clashing with exporters.
Top call of the sale went to a September 2024-born Belgian Blue heifer weighing 525kg and selling for €5,040 (€9.60/kg).
This was followed by a first-prizewinning January 2025-born Belgian Blue heifer calf weighing 420kg and selling for €4,360 (€10.38/kg).
A second prizewinning November 2024-born Belgian Blue heifer weighing 390kg sold for €4,000 (€10.26/kg).
Up to €8/k and €9/kg was common for some of the top-quality lots in the sale.
We are heading into peak weanling sale territory across the country, with a number of big sale coming up in the next four weeks.
Farmer buyers remain cautious, but are being given no choice but to compete with exporters if they want weanlings.
Martbids data
Taking a look at this week’s Martbids Database, we see that it was another very positive week’s trading for all types of stock in marts.
Top-quality bull weanlings in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket came in 8c/kg better this week to €6.45/kg.
Top-quality heifer weanlings were back a little to €6.01/kg, with average-quality heifers in the same weight bracket coming in at €5.18/kg this week.
In the bullock rings, trade was similar to last week, with top-quality bullocks over 600kg coming in at €4.88/kg.
Heavy heifers were up 13c/kg to €4.96/kg this week, with average heifers up 8c/kg to €4.49/kg.
Store bullocks in the 400kg to 500kg weight bracket met good demand from feedlots, with top-quality bullocks up 12c/kg to €5.28/kg.
Dry cows also continue to be a very strong trade, with the top third of dry cows coming in at €4.20/kg this week.
Some marts saw €4,000/head paid for very heavy suckler cows in the last seven days.
Replacement suckler stock also seem to be in big demand, with good-quality suckler outfits selling for €4,000 and above it for quality lots.
A few special in-calf heifer sales have also started very strongly, with €4,000 to €5,000 now common for autumn-calving in-calf heifers in sales.
The weanling trade has injected some confidence into the suckler market, with farmers willing to go that extra bit for heifers when they see the rewards for quality in the weanling ring.
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