Camera at the Mart attended the general cattle sale in Downpatrick Mart last week, where there was a bigger show of animals offered for sale.

Cattle throughput in the mart normally increases during September, as farmers look to offload stores and ease the pressure on grazing ground.

Commenting on the sale, mart manager Sean McConvey said there was a firm trade for good-quality stores and short-keep animals, but that plainer cattle were an easier trade on previous weeks.

He added that buyers are becoming much more cautious when buying cattle, with growing demand for forward animals that require little feed inputs to reach finishing weight.

Topping the trade for bullocks was a 746kg Simmental animal born in October 2017 which made £1,250 or 167p/kg.

Buyers were extremely active on heavy fleshed bullocks, with prices typically running from 170p to 190p/kg for good-quality lots, with plainer cattle selling upwards from 160p/kg.

Continental types saw Charolais and Limousin animals over 500kg making £1,000 to £1,150, with some exceptional lots making upwards of £1,200. Angus and Hereford types were also a firm trade.

However, buyers were less competitive on plainer cattle and while these animals did sell, prices were much easier. Dairy-cross bullocks over 500kg sold from £800 to £900.

Lighter types were a steady trade, with bullocks weighing 400kg to 500kg selling from £750 to £880, with plainer types selling back to £670 for animals at the lower end of the 400kg weight range.

There was a smaller entry of heifers and this helped to underpin the trade for good-quality animals. Heifers sold to a top price of £955 for a 23-month-old Limousin animal weighing 580kg.

Continental types over 500kg were a solid trade, with prices paid on Angus and Hereford types heavily dependent on quality. Good Hereford heifers sold to £800 for animals around 500kg.

Dairy-bred animals were a slower trade, with prices of £500 to £600 for animals weighing 400kg to 450kg, with better-quality animals making upwards to £700.

Suckler outfits sold to £1,000 for a 2015-born Simmental cow with twin Angus calves born in August.

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