Camera at the Mart: factory-fit cattle a little easier in Mohill

Aurivo’s Mohill Mart held its weekly cattle sale of cows, bullocks and heifers last Saturday.

The sale also included an unhaltered sale of pedigree bulls where almost 20 bulls went under the hammer. With over 150 cattle going through the ring, it was a large sale for the time of year.

The cow trade was back on the previous week’s trading, with some factories pulling the price of factory-fit cows last week.

Manager Darragh Barden said: “The drop in cow prices in the factory yesterday affected the trade a little.”

Heavy cows were still in demand, with agents eager to get in on the action when factory-fit cows came into the ring.

Cows weighing 700kg-plus saw a good trade, averaging around €2/kg, with the top cow in the sale selling for €2,060 at 1,010kg (€2.04/kg).

Store feeding cows in any weight bracket didn’t hit the heights of previous weeks. However, there was still a demand for quality continentals suitable for grazing or further feeding indoors.

Dairy-bred cows saw a bigger hit. Small numbers went through the ring and some made up to €1.20/kg.

The unhaltered bull sale saw animals reach prices of €2,100 and over it for Limousin bulls, as well as some lesser bulls making around the €1,500 mark.

There was a good demand for traditional-bred cattle, with a lot of customers around the ring on the hunt for Aberdeen Angus cattle in particular.

This was seen across both bullocks and heifers, with some traditionally-bred cattle in the 400kg to 500kg bracket selling for up to €2.50/kg.

Bullocks and heifers saw a steady trade throughout, with prime factory cattle seeing the best trade.

Heifers for feeding or grass may have been back slightly on previous weeks, with grass shortages and the weather conditions playing a part in this.

Bullocks saw a brisk trade, with bullocks weighing 450kg to 600kg selling for an average of €2.40/kg, while lighter bullocks weighing 300kg-plus sold for closer to €2/kg to €2.20/kg.

Heifers were a similar trade with heifers 650kgs+ averaging €2.30/kg, where lighter heifers 450kgs+ sold for €2.45/kg and lighter poorer heifers around 300kg selling for €1.95/kg.

Darragh said: “The ability to bid ringside has been greatly welcomed here in Mohill, although, as could be seen today, online is here to stay, with up to 40% still being sold online at our sales.”