This week’s main camera at the mart was from Tuesday’s general cattle sale at Ballina Mart. Bank holiday Monday saw the mart’s special bank holiday weanling sale take place, with a large entry of over 1,150 weanlings on offer, while Tuesday’s cattle sale saw 561 cattle and 1,125 sheep on offer.

This pen of nine lambs, weighing 44kg on average sold for €86 each (€1.95/kg).

Mart manager Billy Loftus said the trade for weanlings on Monday was quite strong, with a little more farmer buyer activity for all good-quality types. Billy said that overall, weanling heifers have been running €50/head to €80/head behind the last year’s levels, but Monday’s sale saw prices pretty much on par with the same time last year.

These three suffolk cross breeding ewes sold for €150 each.

This was down to the quality on offer and slightly heavier weights. The top price at the weanling sale was €1,800, which was paid for an outstanding 340kg heifer bought for the show ring.

This pen of 16 lambs, weighing 38kg on average sold for €76 each (€2.00/kg).

Weanling bulls from 300kg to 400kg sold for €2.30/kg on average at Monday’s sale, with the top third making just shy of €2.60/kg. Bulls over 400kg sold for just over €2.00/kg. Bulls from 200kg to 300kg sold mainly from €2.40/kg to €2.60/kg for average-quality types and for over €2.90/kg for the top third.

This pen of 10 cull ewes sold for €87 each.

Weanling heifers from 300kg to 400kg sold for €2.30/kg on average, with the top third making close to €2.70/kg on average. Weanling heifers from 200kg to 300kg sold for €2.30/kg on average, with U grades making close to €2.70/kg on average.

This Charolais cross bullock, born February 2018 and weighing 576kg sold for €1,125 (€1.98/kg).

Billy said Tuesday’s store lamb trade saw a little more bite, with slightly improved farmer activity for all types. This resulted in some light lambs seeing prices improve by €3/head to €5/head. There was slightly improved demand for factory and butchers lambs also, with prices improving by a few euros per head. The general bullock sale saw prices remain firm.

The best demand was for good-quality store bullocks, with aged and plain cattle hard sold.

This Limousin cross bullock, born March 2018 and weighing 500kg sold for €1,105 (€2.21/kg).

Stores over 600kg sold mainly from €1.80/kg to €2.00/kg depending on quality, with aged types selling for €100/head to €150/head less than this.

Good-quality stores from 450kg to 550kg sold mainly from €2.00/kg for average bullocks to €2.20/kg for better-quality types.

This pen of 10 lambs, weighing 40kg on average sold for €90 each (€2.25/kg).

The heifer trade saw improved demand and increased exporter activity for forward stores and breeding heifers.

Commission rates are €9 to the buyer and 2% to the seller to a maximum of €20/head.

This Limousin cross bullock, born spring 2018 and weighing 632kg sold for €1,365 (€2.16/kg).

This Charolais cross heifer, born October 2017 and weighing 512kg sold for €1,155 (€2.26/kg).

This Limousin cross heifer, born spring 2018 and weighing 474kg sold for €1,125 (€2.37/kg).

This Charolais cross heifer, born March 2018 and weighing 604kg sold for €1,200 (€1.99/kg).

Read more

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Plain and over-aged cattle prices under pressure

What’s on in the marts this week