There will be two very different emotions between buyers and sellers this week, with buyers likely to be relieved to see weanling prices retracting, making the chance of a return on their investment a more realistic expectation, while sellers will be cursing themselves for not going out sooner to marts ahead of recent price slumps.
Weanling prices have taken another hit this week, with all qualities and weights of weanling bulls seeing price falls of between 10c and 39c/kg according to MartBids analysis.
Average-quality bull weanlings weighing between 300kg and 400kg fell by 23c/kg on average this week, following a 25c/kg cut the week prior, leaving them trading at €4.59/kg.
For a 350kg bull, this returns a price of €1,606.50/head. In comparison, the same week in 2025 saw an average price of €5.44/kg being paid, or €1,904/head, a price difference of €297.50/head.
The top third of bulls in the same weight bracket are back a similar amount, with 82c/kg shaved off these in the year, back from €6.22/kg in 2025 to €5.40/kg this week.
Numbers
Numbers of weanlings being put forward for sale are comparable between the two years, with 1,938 bulls slotting into the above weight bracket this week compared with 1,832 for the same week last year.
Managers have noted that quality calves are becoming harder to source, with many of these having been turned out for sale earlier in the season, though top-end weanlings are often failing to meet a price which would have been easily achieved in early October.
Export activity
Exporter activity is variable, with farmer buyers more active amid the uncertainty surrounding exports to Algeria in the short- and medium-term future, with it still being unknown if Irish cattle with the relevant health certificates would be allowed to dock and be unloaded.
Heifer weanlings have also seen prices fall considerably on 2025 levels, with 300kg to 400kg heifers trading at an average of €4.44/kg this week, with the 2025 corresponding week seeing heifers of the same weight bracket trading at €5.45/kg, some €1.01/kg higher or €333.30 on a 330kg heifer weanling.
Heifers have been particularly hard hit this season in comparison with bulls, which were being propped up by exporter demand throughout the season amid the fall in beef price earlier in the year.
Heavy cattle
Heavy and store heifers have seen their reign of supremacy over bullock prices end, with prices for all weights and classes taking a heavy hit this week.
Heavy heifers weighing 600kg-plus have been hardest hit, falling by 27c/kg on average, with the price reduction easing as the weights go down.
Last week, I noted in this column that store heifer prices were at odds with bullocks. This now seems to have largely corrected itself.
On the cull cow front, prices have fallen by 10c to 12c/kg in marts across all categories. The average cow price paid this week came to €2.54/kg (back 12c/kg on the week prior) with the top and bottom third of cows trading at €3.35/kg and €1.74/kg respectively.
