All eyes were on Monday sales this week as some of the country’s leading exporters stood down buying on the back of concerns around the health of Irish weanlings.
Manorhamilton was the first big test and it appeared to come through unscathed.
Mart manager Wilfred Moffit said that farmers are still out of force buying and taking out exporters in a lot of cases.
One or two exporters who aren’t participating in the stand off have stepped up activity over the last few days, and this is probably masking the absence of some of the other exporters.
Mart managers maintain that numbers remain strong, with no big reduction in the number of weanlings being brought out to sale this week.
The boycott has divided farmers on the ground, with some coming out in support of the exporters. They say farmers must do everything in their control to make sure that weanlings presented for sale are as healthy as possible.
Other farmers have called the boycott a stunt and criticised the exporters for not highlighting the issue a few months back when actions could have been taken on vaccination of this year’s weanlings.
Mart managers say there has been a notable increase in the number of farmers announcing weanlings as being vaccinated and dosed, with some farmers even bringing receipts to marts this week to present to the auctioneer when weanlings are being sold.
Some mart managers are planning to hold sales of vaccinated weanlings to facilitate exporters in the coming weeks.
The weekly Martbids analysis takes in mart sales from Tuesday to Monday of the previous week, so the full effect of the exporter exit would not be included in this week’s price analysis.
Taking a look at this week’s table, bullocks were the highlight of this week’s trade with all weight and quality categories recording increases this week.
Top quality bullocks in the 500-600kg weight bracket came in at €5.26/kg this week, up 20 cent/kg on the previous week.
Heavier bullocks in the 600kg+ weight category also came in at a better price this week, up 23 cent/kg to €4.90/kg.
Factory agents are back ringside looking for anything that is slaughter fit or close to slaughter fit for a short turnaround to killing.
Poorer quality store bullocks also met a good demand this week with Friesian bullocks in the 400-500kg weight bracket coming in at €3.50-€3.80/kg this week.
Heifers
The heifer trade also had a solid week’s trading with heavy heifers all up in price. Top quality heifers in the 600kg + weight category came in at €4.77/kg this week, up 10 cent/kg on the previous week’s trading.
Average quality heifers are hovering around the €4.50/kg mark this week across the 400-600kg weight range. The weanling bull trade saw a slight correction in the 300-400kg weight bracket – one of the most popular weight brackets for weanlings.
Top quality bull weanlings in this weight bracket came in at €6.50/kg this week, back 20 cent/kg on the previous week. Average quality bull weanlings were back 14 cent/kg to €5.65/kg.
In the heifer rings, demand was good with farmer buying dominating. Top quality heifers in the 300-400kg weight bracket came in at €6.51/kg this week, up 32 cent/kg on the previous week.
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