Iveragh Co-operative Mart in Caherciveen, Co Kerry, held its autumn-born weanling show and sale on Tuesday and trade was on fire.
At the same sale last year mart manager, Mike Kissane, said he had never seen the likes of the prices paid. With a slump in beef price, it was going to be difficult to match the 2022 sale, but this weeks trade exceeded it.
The number of animals that broke the €3/kg figure was double that of last year’s corresponding sale. Those that didn’t were generally stock that wouldn’t have the same grading potential as the top price getters.
U grading stock across from light bulls just under 300kg to heavy stock over 600kg were making from €3/kg to €3.60/kg.
The ringside view was that over 80% of the cattle sold made over €3/kg and there’s every possibility that percentage was higher.
Browsing the pens, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in France, as Charolais and Limousins dominated the numbers, and there was an even split of both breeds.
Weanlings
Most of the weanlings that were on offer were born in July and August 2022 and there was no shortage of buyers, with exporters, farmers and feedlots all active.
Mike said: “There was super cattle in it and trade overall was very good. Exporters were mainly after red Limousins, whereas farmers buyers had a preference for the Charolais.”
Bulls
“The heavy bull over 450kg was mainly going to feedlots for both under 16 month, or some under 20 months systems. Those heavy bulls were a good trade, and unlike other years everyone was paid on the weight this year.
“The beef trade isn’t great, but I was pleasantly surprised that the weanling trade is holding up very strong. It often bucks the trend and doesn’t always follow the factory trade. Good cattle are getting fewer and fewer and the people who want them have to pay for them and they are.
There’s less and less of those well-bred suckler cattle in the country and they want to buy them and they don’t mind paying for them.
It might keep people interested in suckling – that’s the hope we’d have. With the good prices people might stick with the cows for the future.”
Heifers
Heifers were scarce but traditionally most weanling heifers in the area are sold at the south Kerry mart’s special heifer sale on 15 August. The going rate for most heifers was €2.80/kg to €3.20/kg.
Tuesday 1 August is when the next cattle sale is on in Caherciveen and sales will run on a fortnightly basis from then.
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