Dairy-cross weanlings heading for €6/kg in Cashel

Demand for weanlings is showing no sign of letting up as prices continued to simmer at Cashel Mart for the Co Tipperary mart’s show and sale on Saturday last.

Breed didn’t matter as both suckler- and dairy-bred bulls were comfortably making from €4/kg to €6/kg, with a bit more going for well-bred suckler stock.

There were over 400 weanlings on offer with bulls dominating as they accounted for 109 lots, with heifers thinner on the ground.

Half of the weanling bulls on offer weighed between 200kg to 400kg and average prices ranged from €4.26/kg for the bottom third of 300kg to 400kg bulls, while the same weight range saw the top third of the trade sell for an average of €6.51/kg.

Talk of exporters holding back this week didn’t impact the trade in any shape or form according to auctioneer Robert De Vere Hunt. Following the sale, he said: “Home trade is where our business predominantly is and less than 10% were purchased by exporters at the weekend. All breeds are in demand, the producers of these stock are doing a great job, vaccinated all the stuff done.

“Vaccinating them is a safe bet with the way the weather has been. It’s a big reassurance to the buyer too, and farmers weren’t shy in bidding on those calves.

Cream

“The cream always rises to the top, and our champion continental calf, a 12-month-old white Charolais weighing 570kg made €2,740 (4.80/kg). A few other suckler weanlings came within a whisker of that price too with most breaking €6/kg.”

The prime prices weren’t the sole preserve of the suckler calf, he added.

“The dairy-cross calf is in some respects is on par with the suckler now. On Saturday we had a few dairy farmers who kept their calves to sell as weanlings do very well. What I’m seeing a lot of this fall, across both year and a half and yearling cattle is that the Hereford market seems to have surpassed the Angus one. In the last while it seems to have gone to new heights.

“A group of 305kg Herefords made €1,500 (€4.92/kg), another lot of Herefords, 202kg, €1,210 (€5.99/kg).

“There was a bunch of Angus-crosses, 206kg, vaccinated for pneumonia, IBR and Blackleg sell for €1,210 (€5.87/kg).

“We had a bunch of 217kg Friesians that sold for €1,040. That’s €4.79/kg for Friesians. That is some turnaround since last year. We don’t even have to go back 12 months. Last November and December, there were a few lots of spring-born Friesian bulls making €280 to €360.”