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Camera at the mart attended the weekly cattle sale in Omagh Mart on Monday. There was a smaller more seasonal offering of cattle, with slaughter-fit and short-keep animals in limited supply.
With a slower beef trade, there was a smaller presence of buyers around the sale ring compared with previous weeks.
With fewer customers competing on stock, prices were easier on plain cattle, but relatively steady for better-quality lots.
Commenting on the sale, mart manager Eamon O’Kane said that there has been a noticeable tail-off in cattle numbers during December and that prices have become increasingly variable, depending on quality.
He added that beef finishers are still active on forward stores, with continental bullocks in particular holding their value.
Cull cows are a difficult trade, with buyers becoming less competitive as factory prices have come under pressure.
In the bullock ring, prices sold to a peak of £1,455 for a 738kg Limousin animal. Heavy cattle over 700kg were extremely limited, as were forward animals suited to a short finishing period.
Bullocks over 600kg sold to £1,265 for a 662kg Charolais animal, with a 634kg Charolais animal making £1,240.
Bullocks weighing 500kg to 600kg sold from £990 for plainer types, while good-quality continental animals made £1,025 to £1,250 for a 590kg Limousin animal. Lighter bullocks sold from £750 for animals with some level of dairy breeding, rising to £1,075 for a 494kg Charolais-bred animal.
In the heifer ring, there was a very small entry of cattle. Most animals were lighter stores weighing 350kg to 450kg, with a limited offering of animals over 500kg.
Prices reached a peak of £1,165 for a 570kg Charolais animal. Mid-weight store heifers weighing 450kg to 500kg sold from £965 to £1,000 for good-quality Charolais and Limousin types.
Lighter heifers around 400kg were a slower trade. Prices were running just over 200p to 210p/kg for good-quality continental types, with £865 to £950 being paid at the upper end of the end of the trade. Cull cows sold from 143p to 163p/kg for good-quality beef cows carrying flesh, with a top price of £1,012 paid on a 610kg animal.
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