There was a good lift on prices compared with recent weeks at the sale on Tuesday in Fermoy Mart, according to manager Sean Leahy.

“There was a bit more bite in the sale, especially for Angus and Hereford bullocks over 500kg. Feeders were more anxious for these heavier cattle, while farmers were more active for the lighter stores. It says a lot that out of a sale of almost 1,000 cattle, four went home unsold,” he said.

Angus- and Hereford-crosses made up a good proportion of the sale and €1.80/kg was available for the majority of these, whereas €1.65/kg to €1.70/kg was the going rate in Fermoy a few weeks ago for these stores.

The top end of the trade saw the best of Friesian bullocks move back closer to €1.70/kg, while the more extreme P grades were closer to €1.35/kg.

Continentals bullocks, while scarce, performed well. They sold from €2.05/kg for older heavier bullocks right up to €2.60/kg for well-conformed spring 2017-born animals.

The heifer trade was very lively, with €2/kg to €2.20/kg available for continental heifers and €1.80/kg freely available for Angus- and Hereford-crosses.

Commission rates for adult cattle are 1.5% to the seller, with an entry fee of €2.50 and a minimum charge of €9.50/head, and €9 to the buyer.